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R 161555Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2169
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 001276 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB IV
SUBJECT: UNION OF STATE-OWNED NEWSPAPER THREATENS STRIKE 
ACTION IN PROTEST OF DISMISSAL OF DIRECTOR GENERAL 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On October 30, 2006 the board of 
influential government-owned newspaper Fraternite Matin 
(FratMat) dismissed Director General Honore De Yedagne (close 
to the FPI) and replaced him with Leon Lebry Francis, an ally 
of PM Banny.  On November 6 the union for employees at 
FratMat, the &Syndicat des Agents de Fraternite Matin,8 
(SYNAFRAT-MAT) threatened a strike in protest of the 
dismissal of the former DG.  This episode reflects continued 
jockeying between supporters of President Gbagbo and Prime 
Minister Banny.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Who, What, How:  The Ministry of Communications, 
run by Junior Minister and former NGO leader Martine 
Coffi-Studer (Prime Minister Banny is also the Senior 
Communications Minister as well as the Senior Finance 
Minister), recently undertook an audit investigating the 
organizational and financial operations of the newspaper at 
the request of the board of Fraternite Matin.  The board, 
composed of members appointed by the Ministries of 
Communication, Telecommunication, Culture, Finance, Labor, 
and Education and the Prime Minister's office, held an 
extraordinary meeting to review the results of the audit and 
recommended emergency measures.  Voting unanimously, the 
Board quickly dismissed Director General Honare, accusing him 
of &outrageous mismanagement8 and replaced him with Leon 
Lebry Francis, reportedly an ally of Prime Minister Banny. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Immediate Result:  On November 6 the union for 
employees at FratMat, the &Syndicat des Agents de Fraternite 
Matin,8 (SYNAFRAT-MAT) threatened a strike in protest of the 
dismissal of Honore, alleging the action violates the rules 
governing the management of parastatal firms.  SYNAFRAT-MAT, 
generally supportive of the FPI, also denounced the presence 
of armed police at FratMat's HQ to enforce the dismissal. 
However, another FratMat union (more aligned with the 
opposition), the &Syndicat des Agents Libres des Employes de 
Fraternite Matin8 (SYLE-FRATMAT), has come out against the 
threatened strike and instead proposed negotiations with the 
Ministry of Communications. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Honore's Counterattack:  Honore's camp argues that 
as Fraternite Matin is legally under the financial 
supervision of the Ministry of Finance, any legitimate audit 
must be carried out under its guidance.  The audit resulting 
in his dismissal was carried out by an independent auditing 
firm, UNICONSEIL, at the behest of the Ministry of 
Communications.  The outcome of the audit was not made 
available to the former DG, who claims that far from being 
mismanaged, under his leadership, the paper has begun to turn 
a profit.  According to Honore, the Board does not have the 
authority to dismiss him, but only to propose a dismissal 
which must be confirmed by the Council of Ministers and a 
Presidential decree.  Honore asserts that under FratMat's 
bylaws, a Director General can also only be appointed by 
decree after approval by the Council of Ministers as the 
result of a proposal by the Minister of Communications. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Honore Says It's Personal...:  Honore claims his 
dismissal is the result of personal settling of scores 
between himself and Junior Minister Coffi-Studer.  Honore 
publicly stated that his first clash with Coffi-Studer 
occurred in 2002 when he was new to the position of Director 
General and Coffi-Studer was the head of advertising firm 
Ocean.  According to Honore, she was unhappy about the 
reduction from 25% to 15% in Ocean's advertising discount 
with the paper, a reduction insisted upon by Honore, bringing 
Ocean's discount in line with those offered other advertising 
firms. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) ...And Political:  Perhaps more important is the 
political dimension: Honore claims his resistance to 
Coffi-Studer's direct involvement in the editorial section of 
Fraternite Matin was a key factor in his removal.  Much of 
the ongoing commentary on the issue underscores the degree to 
which this controversy either was or has become a proxy fight 
between Banny's camp and the FPI.  In any case, Honore says 
that that &he will fight the state-sponsored gangsterism8 
through the courts. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Comment:  While other papers in Cote d' Ivoire 
openly declare their support for one party or another, 
Fraternite Matin advertises itself as being a state-owned, 
independent source of information that is &neither partisan 
nor neutral8 (its official byline) offering the government's 
point of view.  However, in reality it has become 
increasingly biased in support of the President and does not 
reflect the fact that this is, in effect, a coalition 
government.  Recent stories highly critical of the Prime 
Minster, the international community and the recent UNSCR 
1721 resolution underscore this reality and have undoubtedly 
contributed to the move to oust Honore.  End comment. 
 
ABIDJAN 00001276  002 OF 002 
 
 
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