Forces Nouvelles leader Guillaume Soro: «Other militias not consulted.»

© afrol News / FN

afrol News, 27 March - In their efforts to bury the hatchet, the government of Côte d'Ivoire and the largest rebel group in the country on Tuesday agreed to the appointment of Guillaume Soro, the leader of the Forces Nouvelles (FN) as the country's new Prime Minister.

Mr Soro takes over from Charles Konan Banny, an interim PM appointed by the United Nations after there were delays in the last year's presidential elections.

The new development came after an agreement was signed by both parties in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou on Monday.

Mr Soro's ex-rebel FN group has been controlling most parts of Côte d'Ivoire's northern half since a civil war in 2002.

Mr Banny told the Ivorian state television yesterday that he was prepared to "sacrifice himself" to the lasting peace in the country to prevail. He said "all missions come to an end" but failed short of announcing his official resignation from office.

Since 2002, the Côte d'Ivoire government and its northern rebels have been deadlocked over ending the war, though they signed several peace agreements. But this deadlock came to an end on 4 March when both sides committed themselves to signing yet another peace agreement in Ouagadougou.

The latest negotiated deal is unique in the sense that it takes place in the absence of the UN and African Union. The peace accord advocated for the appointment of a new transitional government whose duty, among others, is to lead the country into presidential polls, within five weeks.

The spokesman of FN, Sidiki Konate said the appointment of Mr Soro was agreed by both the government and FN and that his principal preoccupation is to implement the road map of the Ouagadougou agreement. The elections were slated to take place before the year ends after which the FN leader will step down.

Under the Ouagadougou accord, the Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo, is mandated to decree the appointment of Mr Soro as Prime Minister.

On Monday, he confirmed to news-hungry journalists that war and crisis are finished because Côte d'Ivoire will soon have a new government. He also said he will ask people to go back to their plantations to work.

While Ivorians greet the news with delight and ease, political observers fear the return of yet another crisis escalation in the country because the deal seems to have been signed only between Mr Gbagbo and Mr Soro, excluding the country's civilian opposition to President Gbagbo and other rebel groups based in the west.

Mr Soro is the fifth Prime Minister to be appointed in four years. It is not clear whether he will succeed in disarming all the militia, an agreement of the Ouagadougou accord.

Already, other rebel leaders - because they were not included in the peace agreement - have stated that they will not disarm.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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