Tensions rise over Ivory Coast ID

ABIDJAN – A controversial scheme to give identity papers to thousands of people in Ivory Coast and enable many of them to vote was relaunched yesterday, in a step forward for the war-divided country’s peace process.

Identity was a root cause of the 2002-2003 civil war, which left the nation split into a rebel-held north and government- controlled south. Rebels said people from the largely Muslim north were treated as foreigners by southern Christian tribes.Justice Minister Mamadou Kone presented jeeps and stationery sets to the first teams of judges and government officials who would deploy in two localities in the north and south to start identity hearings.The scheme is key to the country’s peace process but is eyed with suspicion by supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo who fear non-nationals supporting the opposition may fraudulently obtain Ivorian nationality and swell the voting register.The scheme ran for several months last year before grinding to a halt after a political dispute over which documents should be issued at the ‘mobile court’ hearings which are usually set up in town halls or public buildings.Nampa-ReutersRebels said people from the largely Muslim north were treated as foreigners by southern Christian tribes.Justice Minister Mamadou Kone presented jeeps and stationery sets to the first teams of judges and government officials who would deploy in two localities in the north and south to start identity hearings.The scheme is key to the country’s peace process but is eyed with suspicion by supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo who fear non-nationals supporting the opposition may fraudulently obtain Ivorian nationality and swell the voting register.The scheme ran for several months last year before grinding to a halt after a political dispute over which documents should be issued at the ‘mobile court’ hearings which are usually set up in town halls or public buildings.Nampa-Reuters