VZCZCXRO9323
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAB #1349 3411652
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071652Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2246
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 001349 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IV UN
SUBJECT: GBAGBO ROCKING THE BOAT; OPPOSITION STICKS TOE IN 
THE WATER 
 
¶1. (U) After a tumultuous week in the political landscape 
with Gbagbo's takeover of both the State-owned newspaper 
Fraternite Matin and state Radio and Television (RTI), and 
his reinstatement of three senior offials who were implicated 
in the toxic waste disaster but are Gbagbo cronies, this week 
Ivoirian opposition groups tried to rally their supporters 
and take the conflict to the streets.  However, they were 
successful in mounting only relatively small,disparate and 
muted street protests in Abidjan.  On Monday, December 4, the 
youth wing of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and 
Peace (RHDP) called their followers into the streets, vowing 
to make Abidjan a "dead city" ("ville morte"), but without 
significant success.  There were confirmed reports of 
opposition supporters assembling on the streets of 
Treichville and Marcory sectors and reports of two buses 
burning in Koumassi and shooting and tear gas use in Zone 4. 
There were no reported deaths or injuries in Abidjan.  The 
security and defense forces, responding rapidly, prevented 
them from causing serious disruptions and by mid-morning 
Abidjan was quiet. 
 
¶2. (U) Opposition groups have managed more successful 
demonstrations outside of Abidjan.  Last week small 
demonstrations protesting the decrees were staged in several 
cities and resulted in numerous people being wounded and two 
killed in Toumodi.  Youth leaders of the RHDP say this is 
only the beginning and are giving President Gbagbo until next 
Thursday to rescind his recent decrees concerning RTI 
otherwise they threaten to incite protests until Gbagbo 
resigns. It remains to be seen how many people they are able 
to get in the streets. 
Hooks