VZCZCXRO8558
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAB #0366 1611534
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101534Z JUN 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5195
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ABIDJAN 000366 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV IV
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT GBAGBO FINALLY VISITS WESTERN COTE 
D'IVOIRE 
 
REF: ABIDJAN 219 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  On June 7, President Gbagbo amid tight 
security embarked on a ten day trip to the west and northwest 
of the country.  His visit to the west is a political and 
personal triumph as he has not been able to travel to the 
west since the country was divided in 2002.  The visit, which 
had repeatedly been postponed, seems to have been made 
possible as the result of an agreement regarding the 
re-burial in that region of the body of native son General 
Robert Guei, who led a transition government following the 
1999 coup.  Gbagbo's visit can be seen as a sign that the 
country is reunited and its President can travel throughout 
the country.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) During his trip to western and northwestern Cote 
d'Ivoire, President Gbagbo will visit the regions of 18 
Montagnes, Bafing and Denguele, areas that often witness 
small-scale violence.  Security for the President's trip has 
been tight; a total of 1,500 to 2,000 national army and 
Forces Nouvelles soldiers were reportedly deployed to ensure 
the President's safety.  Gbagbo first announced that he would 
travel to the volatile western region in September 2007 and 
the trip was officially postponed twice.  Local media 
reported several times during 2008 and in early 2009 that a 
trip was in the works, but it did not come to fruition until 
now.  The head of the youth section of the President's FPI 
party told Poloff that the trip had been postponed due to 
financial constraints.  However, other interlocutors have 
told Emboffs that the key obstacle has been the unanswered 
questions surrounding the 2002 death of General Robert Guei, 
who headed the transition government that followed a coup in 
¶1999.  There have been allegations that Guei supported the 
September 2002 coup attempt that turned into a rebellion and 
that as a result he was murdered by elements of the 
government.  Guei belonged to the Yacouba ethnic group which 
is predominant in the west. (See Reftel).  Supposedly, Gbagbo 
sent emissaries to meet with the Guei family to ensure that 
he would receive a warm welcome.  Government papers 
highlighted pictures of the President surrounded by the Guei 
family. 
 
¶3. (U) During a June 8 visit to the department of Biankouma 
(18 Montagnes region), Gbagbo announced that Guei, who is 
reportedly buried in a family vault in Abidjan, will be 
re-buried in his village of Kabacouma in late August. 
According to the press, opposition Transportation Minister 
Albert Mabri Toikeusse, who is president of the UDPCI 
political party founded by Guei, welcomed the President's 
announcement. 
 
¶4. (U) In public remarks delivered in Kouibly on June 9, 
Gbagbo seemed to sum up the purpose of his trip.  Noting that 
Prime Minister Soro was accompanying him, the visit is meant 
to showcase a sense of unity of purpose between the two 
leaders.  Gbagbo told the people of Kouibly, some of whom 
supported the Forces Nouvelles, that he did not come as a 
prosecutor ready to identify the guilty and judge them.  He 
said he came to weld the country back together and to foster 
peace, reconciliation, dialogue, and mutual understanding: 
good themes for mounting a campaign. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Gbagbo's visit to the west is significant in that it 
indicates that the President can travel throughout the 
country, which is now officially united.  Over the last two 
years, Gbagbo has visited the northern half of the country 
that came under the control of the Forces Nouvelles after the 
2002 rebellion.  But, the west seemed to remain off limits 
for him until negotiations between his camp and Guei's 
kinsmen reached a breakthrough during the last few weeks, 
paving the way for the return homeof Guei's body and a 
proper traditional burial. 
AKUETTEH