Government minister killed by Ivory Coast mutineers

Ivory Coast’s interior minister was killed today during a military uprising in the West African country, an aide to President Laurent Gbagbo said in Rome, where the president was on a state visit.

Early this evening, Toussaint Alain, the aide, also said that Mr Gbagbo would continue the visit and have an audience tomorrow with Pope John Paul II as scheduled.

But later, an official of an Italian Catholic organisation who met with the President was quoted as saying that Mr Gbagbo told him he would head back home tomorrow without seeing the Pope.

In the President’s original schedule, he was supposed to return home on Saturday.

In Ivory Coast, police said that insurgents had attacked the home of interior minister Emile Boga Doudou.

Mr Alain said he did not know the circumstances of the death of the minister, who he described as a good friend of the President.

Loyalist forces have taken over and the situation was under control in Abidjan, the presidential aide said.

“The rebels attacked the symbols of the republic: the presidential residence and some military barracks and other strategic posts,” said Mr Alain.

Infrastructure minister Patrick Achy, who had accompanied Mr Gbagbo to Rome, said the rebels apparently were linked to a former junta leader, who was killed by loyalists forces today, according to officials in Ivory Coast.

“It seems from the information that we have that the mutineers were elements introduced into the army by Robert Guei when he came to power with his coup” in 1999, Mr Achy told reporters in the lobby of the hotel, on Rome’s Via Veneto, where the President was staying.

“From the information we have there were 10 rebels killed,” said Mr Achy, adding he did not know the number of losses in the loyalists’ forces.

He said that the sports minister might be in rebel hands in “pockets of resistance” in Boake, a central town, but that there was no confirmation.

Earlier, Mr Alain told reporters: “We still can’t describe what happened this morning as a coup. We’ll know more in the coming hours.

“Obviously the uprising was prepared ahead of time, knowing the president would be out of the country.”

In Ivory Coast, police and military officials said that General Guei was killed after heavily armed forces attacked government and security installations.

Mr Alain said it appeared General Guei was involved in the uprising.

“Do you think Guei was on the battlefield going shopping?” he said.

In Ivory Coast, Sergeant Ahossi Aime said that loyalist paramilitary police opened fire on General Guei’s vehicle and that the general died at the scene.

Earlier in the day, Mr Gbagbo cancelled a meeting with the president of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies so he could better follow developments in his homeland.

“Loyalists forces have taken over and the situation is under control in Abidjan,” Mr Alain said.

In Ivory Coast, a senior army commander said that unidentified gunmen had attacked an air base in Bouake.

Mr Achy was asked by a journalist if Ivory Coast would take advantage of agreements with France for military assistance in case of need. The minister said that the President had made no request for French military help.