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Ivory Coast holds 18 over 'terrorist' plot
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (Reuters) -- Eighteen people, including two generals, have been detained in Ivory Coast in connection with a plot to kill the president of the war-divided West African nation, a top government official said Tuesday. Commissioner Ange Kessi, whose role is akin to that of a state prosecutor, sketched out at a news conference what he said was a "terrorist" plan to assassinate Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, his wife, top military officials and some politicians. The alleged conspiracy came to light last week after France said it had foiled a plot to destabilize its former colony and arrested a group of suspected mercenaries in Paris. The fallout has cast fresh doubt on a shaky reconciliation process in Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa grower, which tumbled into civil war last September after rebels launched an uprising to oust Gbagbo. After months of fighting, a peace deal was agreed in January. Since then, a government of national unity including rebels has been formed and the war was declared over in July. But the underlying tensions and hatreds are far from resolved and the country is still divided between a government-held south and rebel-controlled north. The alleged plot has served to widen the gaps between Gbagbo's supporters and the rebels, with each side accusing the other of foul play and manipulation. Kessi said Ivorian police had seized documents implicating military officials in the assassination scheme. Those held included 11 military officials and seven civilians. Those detained include Gen. Soumalia Diabagate, one-time member of a military junta which seized power in 1999, and Gen. Alain Mouandou, head of the police. A third general was released Monday due to lack of evidence. Kessi said the plotters planned to position themselves in the residential Cocody suburb of Abidjan and blow up the president's cortege with an RPG7 anti-tank rocket, like those used against U.S. helicopters in Somalia. "Imagine the dreadful and appalling character of these events. That is why we do not hesitate to describe this as an act of terrorism which, for me, is like September 11, 2001, in New York," Kessi said. He said the plotters planned to install renegade army soldier Ibrahim Coulibaly, among those arrested in France, as the new head of state during a transition period. Coulibaly, who had been in exile for years, has long been linked by Gbagbo's supporters with last year's rebellion. He was provisionally jailed in Paris Monday pending further hearings. His lawyers have denied the charges. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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