Assassination Attempt on Rebel Leader Raises Tension in Ivory Coast

Assassination Attempt on Rebel Leader Raises Tension in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- As he watched children and teenagers play soccer in the courtyard of apartment buildings with faded facades, Moussa Damiba recalled better days here.

Lots of white people lived in these buildings before the crisis, the 32-year-old said. "The crisis" is the catch-all term used to describe the years of instability, defined by a coup d'etat, a country-dividing civil war and political violence.

But Damiba worries about the future too after last month's attempted assassination of Guillaume Soro, the leader of the rebel New Forces who is now Ivory Coast's prime minister. When Soro's plane landed in Bouake, his stronghold in the rebel-controlled north, it came under rocket attack, killing four people.

Keep reading for free

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

Get instant access to the rest of this article by creating a free account below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:
Subscribe for an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review
  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.