During crisis, calls for solidarity among Cote d’Ivoire’s media

Ivorian journalists meet in Ghana to assess the impact of the current crisis in Cote d’Ivoire on the media community. Despite strong divides within the Ivorian media community, there seems to be a strong will to address common issues

By Michelle Betz, Accra

Ivorian journalists Sounkalo Coulibaly and Augustin Kouyo pointed accusing fingers at one another, both strongly defending the political stance and political support of their respective newspapers, Le Patriote and Notre Voie.

The two journalists were perhaps not just a symptom of the current crisis in the West African nation but had also become part of the problem.

After a relatively peaceful first round of voting in the presidential elections at the end of October 2010, incidents of violence in Côte d’Ivoire were quick to begin once campaigning for the second round began.

Then, after several days of uncertainty following the November 28 run-off, the country was essentially left divided with two presidents and two governments. The incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, was installed as president by decision of the Constitutional Court after it had annulled results from the northern part of the country citing violence and voting irregularities.

The other president, Alassane Ouattara, has his power base is in the north of the country. The Electoral Commission declared Ouattara the winner of election with clear numbers. He is also supported by the UN mission in Côte d’Ivoire, ECOWAS, EU and France, which still has both soldiers and a military base in Abidjan.

And with the results announced, the “war of the airwaves” began, says Francis Domo, a member of the Conseil Nationale de la Presse and a participant at the Accra meeting.

Coulibaly and Kouyo were two of the approximately twenty Ivorian journalists who participated in a meeting in Accra, Ghana in early January. In addition to the journalists, there were also a number of representatives from national, regional and international media organizations including IMS and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).  The participants met to assess the impact of the current crisis on the media community and to discuss possible short-, medium- and long-term assistance options in light of the current crisis in Cote d’Ivoire.

It was clear at the outset of the Accra meeting how divided the media community is. However, it became equally clear as the meeting progressed that there is a strong will on the community’s behalf to address common issues including access to information, safety and professional standards. These issues were highlighted as key to improving and supporting the role of the media in Côte d’Ivoire during this critical time.

But by the end of the meeting, the group had put together a set of recommendations aimed at increasing solidarity among the Ivorian media community and to support press freedoms and the safety of journalists. The recommendations have already been published in at least two Ivorian newspapers.

Statement from the meeting