L'avenir or the future

Gbagbo was caught, IB was shot and this week Ble Goude is coming out of his shadows - could make for a great movie ...

Personally, I'm concerned, I will admit to being a French resident but am worried about the future French involvement.  I can see Cote d'Ivoire being a semi-colony of France which wasn't the objective during independence.  Last weekend I was talking to a French soldier who was in Bouake from December until April, with a few others ready to make a strike, they left before Gbagbo was captured or the strikes were made across Abidjan.

French Special Forces aren't to be messed with, this one left with his colleagues before it all got nasty.  We were in touch whilst I was there, hence I knew movements & my personal safety whilst I was in situ.  The messages I got whilst on the ground were difficult to deal with; I couldn't disclose the situation earlier due to the situation of their mission.  I felt sometimes like I was on a knife edge knowing too much possibly, but wanting the best.

I was there when things weren't that bad when you compare with what happened in March & April.  Predominantly I was there for C.R.E.E.R, to have a meeting with the Mayor which took a month to arrange, at the same time I needed to go to Burkina Faso for work.  I never got there, I'm now in a difficult situation; C.R.E.E.R isn't as it should be especially for our partners in Canada & I'm without work - which in France without a salaried position isn't funny.  It means that I must continue to search for work, I don't get any social help & am close to shutting down my business ..

So where to go from here?  I don't know .. we're now submitting papers without any assistance & hoping for the best; I believe it will work out, C.R.E.E.R will be an entity shortly in Cote d'Ivoire:   We have to be soon, I'm right behind that but any assistance is a bonus!

C.R.E.E.R needs setting up soon, our future director saw kids of 10 or 11 on the streets armed with guns.  The Mayor said that he needs time to get his political career sorted; it's now 10 months since our first meeting with him (prior to the crisis) to get this going.  I realise & know that this is not a political issue but surely the future of Ivoirian children are an issue???

Someone prove me wrong please!

Yako mes amis; surtout a Yop et a ailleurs!!!

Is this the start???

Of something new?

A new government without enemies?

A new country heading to re-grow it's economy?

A different life for the children?

I don't know.

But it feels like Ivoirians are 'free', I wish that it's all true, but it's early days yet

With the death of 'IB' yesterday, maybe this growth will happen, the children will see some sort of stability, maybe we can get C.R.E.E.R fundraising motoring - who knows?!

Sisters, brothers, YAKO - we're not the same but we have to unite in this new world that is Cote d'Ivoire; I'm not Ivoirian but to see the country stabilize & grow would make me very proud!

Tomorrow is 'the royal wedding' which makes me mad that the world press will be there but yet so few made it to report on the conflict with the exception of AlJazeera & BBC ... all those that did make it to Cote d'Ivoire during the conflict should be proud to have shown the reality.

I heard today that the genocide was very real, people found cast in concrete whilst they were alive ... it's all shocking but I hope that they will live very long lives to pay for this!

A final word in French from an Ivoirian friend involved in C.R.E.E.R

Ouf enfin la guerre est finie en CI, et le travail pour la cohésion sociale est aussi en train de se faire. La paix est de retour en côte d'ivoire , on peut l'affirmer sans faux fuyant . D'ici quelques temps on ne parlera plus de conflit , le pays pourra donc se lancer dans sa phase de développement économique. Mais les nombreuses victimes de ces conflits ont été les enfants qui n'ont pratiquement plus de repères parce qu'ils ont plus de parents et sont donc exposés à tous les vices de la vie . C.R.E.E.R veut offrir à ces enfants un nouvel espoir à un avenir meilleur en leur apprenant un métier à partir d'une formation et aussi assurer la prise en charge psycho-éducative de ces enfants . 

Yako mes amis!

Nearing normality ...?

Unfortunately there still seems to be a lot of chaos in Cote d'Ivoire.

Children returned to school yesterday, many still confused, lost & upset by the situation. Banks are due to open today; which might give many adults the impetus to re-start their lives. Fuel is slowly being distributed around Abidjan; hopefully deliveries will go further afield soon.

However, 'IB' the head of the 'Invisible Commandos' was killed in the Abobo district of Abidjan today. 'IB' - Ibrahim Coulibaly was the head of the small guerilla group that assisted Ouattara's forces to oust Gbagbo's patriots. However it seems that IB was on his own mission, continuing to fight with his militia. He was given the chance to turn in weapons to Ouattara's government or have them taken by force; along with 6 of his men and 2 FRCI soldiers, he was killed in battle yesterday.

A fellow Tweeter @senambeheton explains IB's political background & recent politics: http://senambeheton.posterous.com/in-new-ivory-coast-old-rivalries-threaten-ret

However, seeing AlJazeera shots of disturbed schoolchildren yesterday in a relatively 'quiet' area of Abidjan. I can't imagine what the children of Abobo are thinking. The trauma that they have gone through during this conflict is beyond anyone's imagination having been living through this nightmare in one of the hardest hit districts.

Yet, somewhere out there are the children that have really suffered; the children that have been living on the streets. What must have they seen? witnessed? succumbed to? How many were coerced into carrying weapons?

Time will tell if this latest drama of the crisis is finally the end of a long five months ...