World

Ivory Coast Ruler Claims Death Attempt

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 18, 2000 / 9:22 AM EDT / CBS

Ivory Coast's military ruler, General Robert Guei, said on Monday that he had escaped an assassination attempt at his residence during the night but that two of his bodyguards had been killed.

"Some young military people were more or less invited by certain people who are known to me to make an attempt on my life,"Guei told a news conference.

Authorities said others were injured and the casualties could not be independently confirmed.

He declined to say who these "certain" people were, but he said he had been informed on Sunday that an attempt might be made on his life.

He had summoned the young soldiers implicated to see him at his residence that evening. He had told them he did not want bloodshed and the meeting appeared to have ended amicably. He did not say if these soldiers were among the assailants.

The shooting stopped shortly after dawn and civilians began venturing into the streets. Government officials said Gen. Robert Guei was safe and remained in control.

Other officials said the attackers wore civilian clothing.

Sporadic shooting was also heard in the pre-dawn hours in other neighborhoods around Abidjan, the main city in this West African nation.

Reinforcements were sent to Guei's home to help defend it, the officials said. Heavily armed soldiers in armored personnel carriers set up barricades outside the residence.

The attackers fled after expressing anger at Guei for declaring his candidacy in upcoming presidential elections, according to a senior military official.

Conflict has been growing among Ivorian soldiers, who were promised large bonuses in exchange for supporting the Dec. 24 coup that toppled the government of former President Henri Konan Bedie and brought Guei to power. The bonuses have only been partially paid and different amounts were given to different units, increasing ill-feeling among the security forces.

Tensions have also been flaring in recent days over the question of whether Alassane Dramane Ouattara, a popular opposition leader, will be allowed to run in elections set for Oct. 22.

The issue came into question after a new constitution was adopted following a referendum in early August. A last-minute amendment stipulates that both parents of presidential candidates be "of Ivorian origin" a change widely believed to be aimed at excluding Ouattara.

Ouattara says both his parents were Ivorian. His opponents insist they were from Burkina Faso. Ouattara is a former prime minister and International Monetary Fund official who has been a popular advocate for Ivory Coast's marginalized northern Muslims and large immigrant community.

There have been two military mutinies since the Christmas Eve coup, as the junta's initial burst of popularity waned. During the last mutiny, in early July, mutinous soldiers demanded housing bonuses worth $9,000 but eventually agreed to a sum of $1,600. Only a fraction of that amount has been paid.

Southern Ivorians, mainl Christian, also have grown increasingly resentful of the growing flood of northern ethnic groups, mostly Muslim, seeking farm homesteads and jobs in the agriculturally rich south. Last week, one village in southwestern Ivory Coast was burned down and another abandoned in fighting between various native and migrant ethnic groups.