In Côte d’Ivoire, the standoff between the government and the opposition parties continues. Since Tuesday, former President Henri Konan Bédié and the other principals’ residences have always been surrounded by police. This follows the announcement by opponents last Monday of the creation of a National Transitional Council preparing to appoint a government. This new political crisis is directly affecting the country’s economic activity, especially among small traders who fear a resurgence of violence.
With our correspondents in Côte d’Ivoire, Sidy Yansane and Judith Diarra
The municipality of Cocody is gradually coming back to life. Since the beginning of the week, companies have gradually reopened. This manager of a store that specializes in prescription glasses has been reopened since Monday, but had to change the store’s opening hours: “if we stay in the house, we do not have to eat. we have to get to work. We gradually resume that I put everything in God’s hands, and then I come because I say to myself that no matter what events I want to take, if it’s my day, it’s going to be my day. “
In fact, the streets of Cocody are unusually empty from the start of the evening. The fear that the violence of the past will reappear dominates the spirits. Fofana is a fashion designer by profession: “the little fear, the little fear is always what. So we ask our leaders to think about it, especially we who are in informal activities, it is not easy because we have burdens, responsibilities, and when we can not carry out our work freely, it has costs for us. Today we close a little earlier. When at some point we feel that the streets are starting to become empty, that we no longer know who is who, we take our precautions, we go straight home. “
Traders hope the situation will normalize next week. In the meantime, everyone avoids dwelling on the political debates, the usual source of tension in the country.
Residents of Bouaké were able to return to their city
In the north-central part of the country, hundreds of passengers enjoy quieter days in Bouaké after the tensions of the weekend and the start of the week. They had been stuck in Yamoussoukro due to the roadblocks and had been alone. But they were finally able to return home.
Although traffic appears to be picking up, carriers are playing the caution card. On average, twenty departures usually, UTB, the Ivorian transport giant, has preferred to limit its trips to four buses.
In Bouaké, the relief is for a few hundred passengers
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