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Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Thithi president!': Supporters rally for banned Ivorian opposition hopeful
Despite a heavy downpour and slippery roads, supporters of presidential candidate Tidjane Thiam poured into Abidjan's streets in the thousands on Saturday to march on the offices of the Ivory Coast electoral commission. Decked in the white and green colours of Thiam's main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the demonstrators chanted his nickname – 'Thithi president!' – in a show of support for a candidate now officially barred from the vote. Placards reading 'There's no Plan B!' flew high amid protest songs. 'We strongly denounce the arbitrary and unjustified removal of President Thiam, as well as other major opposition leaders,' PDCI's executive secretary, Sylvestre Emmou, one of few people allowed through a large police barricade to submit a complaint to the commission, told his soaked compatriots. 'This is unacceptable and dangerous for peace and democracy in our country,' he said. The protests highlight rising tensions in West Africa's second-biggest economy, ahead of the October general elections that many fear could lead to violence in a country with still-fresh memories of the 2011 election-related civil war. At stake is Ivory Coast's continued stability amid a regional security crisis, but a likely fourth-term bid by incumbent President Alassane Ouattara has concerned many voters and political rivals, alongside what critics say is the government's targeted ban on opponents. Ouattara's strongest challenger, Thiam, was struck from a final list of candidates on June 4 after the electoral commission said he was ineligible to run because he'd automatically lost Ivorian citizenship when he took French citizenship in the 1980s. Although Thiam gave up his French nationality to regain his Ivorian one in February, a court ruled in May that he was not technically Ivorian when he enrolled in the electoral register in 2022. Thiam's supporters accuse Ouattara, who has led since 2011, of clearing the way for a fourth term. The last elections in 2020 were boycotted by the opposition, which argued Ouattara had reached his term limits, handing him an easy victory. In the 2015 elections, Ouattara was a clear favourite. Former President Laurent Gbagbo and his old right-hand man Charles Ble Goude have been struck off too for convictions related to the 2011 civil war. Ex-Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who was convicted of fraud, was also removed. Ouattara will suffer illegitimacy if he runs without those four, Sylvain N'Guessan, a politics professor at the University of Bondoukou, told Al Jazeera. 'He will be seen as a candidate who had to exclude all other serious candidates to impose himself. What relationship will such a president have with the other parties, with the voters?' he said. Many Ivorians, particularly young voters, view businessman Thiam as a breath of fresh air and a departure from the divisive establishment politics that have seen power concentrated in the hands of a few. At 62, he is two decades younger than Ouattara and is related to Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the first Ivorian prime minister. Thiam was the first Ivorian student to land a place at Paris's prestigious Ecole Polytechnique in 1982, from where he was launched to top-flight firms like consulting giant McKinsey. In 1994, he returned home to take up a ministerial position that saw him launch several infrastructure projects. A military coup in 1999, however, cut short that career. In 2015, he became the first African head of Swiss bank Credit Suisse but stepped down in 2019 after an espionage scandal: a colleague accused Thiam of spying on him, although a court later cleared him of wrongdoing. In 2022, Thiam returned to the Ivory Coast and the once-ruling PDCI party. Thiam's party promises a return to the economic development that flourished under Houphouet-Boigny, who is credited with the 'Ivorian Miracle' or the rapid development that came after colonial rule. Thiam has also promised to include everyone, regardless of ethnicity or religion. 'He presents as a new leader, a new face who could lead Cote d'Ivoire differently,' N'Guessan said, adding that young Ivorians were tired of faces like Ouattara's and Gbagbo's, who are associated with turbulent politics. Critics say his international career means he's out of touch locally, but Thiam claims he is nonetheless well-loved. In an interview with the BBC in April, he accused the government of specifically targeting him with a colonial-era law he said was rarely used. Thiam pointed to Ivorian-French footballers who hold dual nationalities and play for French clubs and the Ivorian national team. 'I don't think anyone in Cote d'Ivoire believes that this is not a case of the government exploiting the legal system,' he said, referring to his removal based on nationality. 'This government has been in power for 15 years. Does it deserve five more? For me, that's what should be at the centre of the presidential campaign, not my passport,' Thiam said at the time. Al Jazeera reached out to the Ivorian government for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. A day after Thiam's supporters gathered in Abidjan, Ouattara's ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) members also rallied in Yopougon, the most populous suburb of Abidjan. Banners reading 'In Yopougon, our champion is ADO', a reference to the president's nickname, were stretched across a stage where senior party members extolled Ouattara. The gathering set the stage for the party's grand congress on June 21-22, where Ouattara is expected to officially announce his candidacy. 'There is only one road – the road of President Alassane Ouattara,' former prime minister Patrick Achi declared to the gathered crowd. Ouattara, 83, is rumoured to be half-Burkinabe. He was the target of inflammatory identity politics for years, with his rivals questioning his 'Ivoirite' and enforcing laws that disqualified him from running. When he finally won elections in 2011, Gbagbo refused to hand over power, resulting in a civil war that killed some 3,000 people. Ouattara has since amended the Ivorian constitution to allow presidential candidates with at least one Ivorian parent in a 2016 referendum. He has nurtured the country back from the brink into a flourishing economy, evident in the 7 percent average yearly growth recorded in the past decade. Then in 2020, Outtara ran in and won elections. Critics and boycotting opposition said his third-term bid was unconstitutional while Outtara argued his mandate was reset by the new constitution. Violence was reported in some areas. N'Guessan said Ivorians don't have the appetite for the immense suffering of 2011, and warned that reviving identity politics by preventing Thiam from running once again is 'dangerous'. 'We should learn the lessons to address the issue of nationality with a little more perspective,' he said. 'The same words produce the same effects, the same evils.'
Zawya
8 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Côte d'Ivoire Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé Opens 16th African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) General Assembly in Abidjan
Abidjan hosted the opening of the 16th General Assembly of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) ( on June 19, 2025. The ceremony, held under the high patronage of Mr. Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, brought together a plethora of distinguished guests, including ambassadors, directors-general, ministers, academics, media professionals, students, and civil society members from around the world. Under the impactful theme "Developing Media: Strategies for Financial and Technological Resilience, and Innovative Content," this assembly promises crucial discussions for the future of the African media landscape. In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Mambé highlighted the essential role of media in societal transformation: "Media represents a true opportunity for our country. We are counting on you to preserve and strengthen this asset, through the consultation framework offered to you. It is from this dialogue that the right answers to our questions will emerge." This was a clear call for collaboration and the search for collective solutions. For Cléophas Barore, President of the AUB Executive Council, the funding challenge is omnipresent: "The financing of production and broadcasting remains a daily struggle. These challenges are marked by resource scarcity, fierce competition from new media, information multinationals, and many others." This observation underscores the urgent need for innovation in a constantly evolving media environment. Amadou Coulibaly, Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson, for his part, urged broadcasters to embrace new media to better capture the African audience. "With the AUB, your Union, I urge you to work tirelessly to sustainably retain the African audience, in its diversity, by notably taking into account new communication and broadcasting channels such as social media, streaming, OTT, and podcasts, by innovating and valuing local content, our historical, cultural, tourist, and socio-economic values. I commit you to this!" he affirmed, emphasizing the importance of innovation and the promotion of local content in the face of information globalization. The productive first day also featured a visit to the exhibition stands, offering participants the opportunity to discover the latest innovations in content creation and to forge partnerships. The 16th AUB General Assembly continues on June 20, 2025, with the Union's statutory proceedings and the Awards ceremony. Grégoire NDJAKA Director General Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union of Broadcasting (AUB).
LBCI
2 days ago
- Business
- LBCI
MEA adds special flights to Accra and Abidjan on June 21
Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced it will operate one round-trip flight to Abidjan and two round-trip flights to Accra on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Check the flight schedule here.
Medscape
3 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Hand vs Hand: The Strange World of Alien Limb
A 55-year-old patient who was right-handed consulted a neurologist for episodes of inter-manual conflict due to uncontrolled movements of his left hand, marked by involuntary movements of his left hand that interfered with the right hand. Each time he reached for a door handle with his right hand, his left hand counteracted the movement. He reported similar interference during other manual tasks. The patient was anxious and feared the persistence of these movements. A brain MRI prescribed by the neurologist allowed the diagnosis of infarction of the corpus callosum. This rare case of alien hand syndrome reported by Léonard Kouamé Kouassi, MD, and colleagues at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, recommends brain imaging in case of unusual clinical manifestation or prompt referral of the patient to a neurologist. The Patient and His History The right-handed patient had episodes of uncontrolled movements of his left hand. According to him, this phenomenon had been developing for 8 days, preceded by a numbness sensation in his left upper limb 6 days earlier. He is right-handed. Whenever he moves his right hand to perform an activity, his left hand interferes. He has the impression that his left hand is being controlled by someone else, preventing him from performing his activities. These symptoms made him anxious, and he kept asking the neurologist if this hand behaviour would ever stop. His medical history included high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes for at least 5 years. There was no history of alcohol or tobacco use and no family history of hypertension or diabetes. Findings and Diagnosis On admission, neurologic examination was normal, blood pressure was 160/100 mm Hg, temperature was 37.2 °C, pulse was 84 beats/min and was regular, weight was 93 kg, and height was 1.76 m. A scheduled neuropsychological evaluation could not be performed. Complete blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, urea, and creatinine levels were within the reference range. Only low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was elevated at 1.37 g/dL. The retroviral serology results were negative. The immunological and thrombophilia test results were normal. Cerebral MRI showed well-systematised signal anomalies within the corpus callosum splenium, extending anteriorly to its trunk, with a discrete mass effect on the corpus callosum body. These anomalies appeared in hyposignal on the T1 sequence, hypersignal on the T2 sequences, and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery in diffusion 1000, without restriction on the apparent diffusion coefficient and without haemorrhagic stigmata in gradient echo, corresponding to images of a relatively recent corpus callosum ischaemic stroke in the territories of the left pericallosal and posterior cerebral arteries. An old punctuated vascular lesion of the left caudate nucleus and acquired leukoencephalopathy of old vascular origin were also noted. ECG showed sinus tachycardia associated with an incomplete right branch block with a V5-V6 late S-wave. A Holter ECG could not be performed. Transthoracic echocardiography showed concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricular walls and no intracavity thrombus. Transoesophageal echocardiography was non-specific. Doppler ultrasound of supra-aortic trunks showed marked bilateral atheromatosis, with the presence of a non-stenotic heterogeneous plaque at the ostium of the right internal carotid artery. On the basis of these findings, the patient was diagnosed with alien hand syndrome. The management was that of ischaemic stroke. Medications prescribed to the patient included an antidiabetic by a diabetologist, an antihypertensive (perindopril arginine/amlodipine besylate), a statin (Rosuvastatin EG), an antiplatelet aggregator (aspirin), and an anxiolytic (prazepam). Around 21 days after the onset of the stroke, the patient noted a significant improvement in the behaviour of his left hand, which became less and less troublesome, with the disappearance of the inter-manual conflict. However, the patient reported difficulties in deciding which of the two opposite actions to initiate. Discussion Alien hand syndrome is a rare manifestation of stroke. The diagnostic workup followed standard stroke protocols. There is no approved or recommended therapy, and its management is based on anecdotal reports of pharmacological interventions using botulinum toxin and clonazepam, as well as behavioural interventions. In this case, in addition to the usual treatment of cerebral infarction, prazepam is an anxiolytic. Clonazepam and prazepam belong to the same therapeutic group and have similar actions, which may explain the improvement seen in our patient. 'We hope, by updating this syndrome, to attract the attention of physicians to avoid diagnostic delays. In addition, this case report could contribute to enriching data on alien hand syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa,' the authors wrote.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Thousands protest in Ivory Coast after opposition leader barred from presidential race
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Thousands of protesters gathered in Ivory Coast 's capital Abidjan on Saturday to demand the reinstatement on the electoral list of main opposition leader Tidjane Thiam, a former CEO of Credit Suisse, who was barred from running in the presidential election set for October. Despite heavy rain, protesters peacefully gathered near the independent electoral commission, the body responsible for organizing the vote, in Abidjan.
