Pullback shows obstacles to Ivorian disarmament
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TIEBISSOU, Ivory Coast (Reuters) -- A bulky Russian tank slips off its narrow transporter in central Ivory Coast, its heavy treads crashing onto the road.
After struggling for hours, soldiers pulling back heavy weapons from the front line finally give up, driving the machine slowly away in a haze of diesel smoke.
The scene at Tiebissou is a reminder of the challenges facing Ivory Coast as it takes the first steps toward ending a civil war that has crippled the world's top cocoa-growing nation.
Rebels have agreed to withdraw heavy guns from the front line, but they say this is not disarmament and is simply meant to lower tensions in the former French colony.
Rebel chief of staff Soumaila Bakayoko told Reuters the guns would not be mothballed, but redeployed at other strategic sites. He declined to say how many guns that was.
"No commander is going to tell you his military strength," he said in the rebel stronghold of Bouake.
Disarmament is key to finally drawing a line under a civil war that exploded in September 2002, dragging the country into a vortex of violence all too familiar in West Africa.
The war has been declared over but the peace process has stalled over rebel political demands and President Laurent Gbagbo's insistence they disarm before other grievances are addressed.
Rebels seized the north and west of the country, while troops loyal to Gbagbo held onto the south.
Both sides have until Christmas day to complete the pullback and dismantle most of the checkpoints that have sprung up on both sides of the front line. An international team will verify the process from December 26.
Bakayoko said full disarmament would only be possible if and when the rebels return to a power-sharing government they quit in September. They are due to meet Monday to discuss this.
"The men understand full well that this pullback is not disarmament," Bakayoko said. "Morale is high... they are ready to fight."
But on the main road south from Bouake, rebel fighters seemed more concerned with extorting money from travelers
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Fighters, some wearing the magic charms they believe will protect them in battle, forced passengers from minibuses, ordering them to cross through ad-hoc checkpoints on foot.
Under the withdrawal plan, both sides are only allowed to set up roadblocks at the main entrances to towns. But orders to dismantle the other money-spinning checkpoints could well test the fighters' loyalty to their commanders.
"They earn 2,000, 3,000 (francs or $4-6) a day at the road blocks, maybe more -- they've got no other income," said one soldier serving with the 4,000-strong French force in Ivory Coast. "Are they going to leave that? What will they do?"
Copyright 2003
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
