We understand that there isn’t too much coverage in the British media of what is happening now in Côte d’Ivoire, so I’ll try to summarize how things have developed since our last message.
Life in Abidjan has mostly returned to normal, though with all our expatriate language workers here in Abidjan, our work is not proceeding at all as it would normally. We are mostly spending our time trying to get to grips with the current situation, where half the country is cut off from our offices in Abidjan. We are looking into what level of work can be maintained under the current circumstances and how best to minimize the impact on work and everyone’s lives in the event that we Westerners would leave. Some missions with little or no work in Abidjan have already left, but most are just waiting like us to see what develops next. A few of our SIL colleagues have left the country with our blessing for one reason or another.
The Ivorian government decided not to sign a ceasefire agreement last weekend, saying that they will not negotiate unless the rebels lay down their arms. The rebels, for their part, say they do not trust the government. Several government offensives seem not to have achieved their objective of dislodging rebels from the central city of Bouaké (pop. 500,000) and the northern city of Korhogo.
British and French media are out of favour with the government for giving voice to the rebels, so their FM transmitters have been put out of action. We can still listen on short-wave, but many don’t have that option or access to Internet reports. The Ivorian media who are willing to publish or broadcast paint a very different picture than what we hear from international sources.
The children have been back at school for the last ten days or so. We till have a curfew at night which limits social opportunities in the evenings. Everyone is feeling pretty worn out and stressed, though we are doing our best to keep some balance between work and family life.