- Côte d'Ivoire leaders have gone extra mile to demonstrate their commitment to lasting peace in their country by setting fire to stockpiled weapons, which is seen as the finishing touches of the process to seal the five-year civil war.
The landmark ceremony, which took place in the former rebel north control capital of Bouake, was witnessed by both President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Guillaume Soro.
The trip is the first taken by the Ivorian leader to the area since the war broke out in September 2002. He said the burning of guns is a clear sign that the war is over.
For Mr Soro, the burnt guns have gone with the war. And as a symbol of national reconciliation, the flame of peace will be carried to all the 19 regions of the country.
Côte d'Ivoire - the world’s largest cocoa producer and once seen as the most cosmopolitan country in West Africa - had been divided into rebel-controlled north and the government-held south for years.
But the signing of a peace deal by the Ivorian leader and Mr Soro, the former Secretary General of Forces Nouvelles, in March had restored hope in peace-seeking Ivorians.
This culminated in the appointment of Mr Soro as the Prime Minister. He has formed a new government, a presidential decree that indemnifies crimes by both hostile parties was put in place and a buffer zone between the south and north was dismantled.
Under the Ouagadougou peace agreement, the two leaders agreed to reunite the country and hold elections by early 2008, when Mr Soro’s term of office expires.
President Gbagbo has not only declared Monday a public holiday, he has also extended invitation to African leaders from Burkina Faso, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Ghana, Benin and Mali to the country.
However, an assassination attempt on the life of Mr Soro last month has raised more security questions than answers. Soro’s plane came under rocket propeller attack as soon as it landed in Bouake, resulting to the death of four people while leaving scores seriously injured. He described the attack as scary and serious and therefore called for independent investigation into the issue.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español