New government in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN – The Ivory Coast on Saturday announced a new transitional government that brings together former rebels and allies of the president in a bid to reunite the country.

The government also said foreign troops patrolling a buffer zone dividing rebel-held areas in the north from the rest of the country would begin to withdraw by the middle of this month. The formation of the government follows a March 4 peace agreement reached during talks in neighbouring Burkina Faso between President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel chief Guillaume Soro.The deal, which is supposed to lead to new elections, was reached after more than four years of crisis.The country, once a bastion of stability in west Africa, has been split since 2002 following a failed coup led by Soro.Soro’s forces have controlled the north of the country since then, while Gbagbo’s troops have held the south.Soro was named prime minister of the new government late last month.In the transitional government announced on Saturday, Gbagbo’s party and allies will hold 11 posts, including the interior and defence ministries, while two opposition parties will have five posts each, including the foreign ministry.Members of Soro’s New Forces group will have a total of seven posts, including the ministers of justice, tourism and communication.The buffer zone dividing north and south is set to disappear on April 16, said Marcel Amoussou, commander of the United Nations force in the country.It will be replaced by observation posts that will continue to be patrolled by UN and French troops.Every two months, the number of observation posts will be reduced by half, according to terms of the agreement.Nampa-AFPThe formation of the government follows a March 4 peace agreement reached during talks in neighbouring Burkina Faso between President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel chief Guillaume Soro.The deal, which is supposed to lead to new elections, was reached after more than four years of crisis.The country, once a bastion of stability in west Africa, has been split since 2002 following a failed coup led by Soro.Soro’s forces have controlled the north of the country since then, while Gbagbo’s troops have held the south.Soro was named prime minister of the new government late last month.In the transitional government announced on Saturday, Gbagbo’s party and allies will hold 11 posts, including the interior and defence ministries, while two opposition parties will have five posts each, including the foreign ministry.Members of Soro’s New Forces group will have a total of seven posts, including the ministers of justice, tourism and communication.The buffer zone dividing north and south is set to disappear on April 16, said Marcel Amoussou, commander of the United Nations force in the country.It will be replaced by observation posts that will continue to be patrolled by UN and French troops.Every two months, the number of observation posts will be reduced by half, according to terms of the agreement.Nampa-AFP