MONTHLY REPORT--ABIDJAN BUREAU--NOVEMBER 1987

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190002-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 1, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved forRelease2012/08/14 : CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190002-3
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EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
ABIDJAN BUREAU
FBIS 2603-87
1 December 1987
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, FBIS
THRU: Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT: Monthly Report--Abidjan Bureau--November 1987
I. GENERAL
The ambassador has announced a proposal to relocate the embassy in a
vacant 14-story office building in the downtown Plateau section of Abidjan,
thereby postponing or abandoning altogether plans to purchase land and
construct a building in the early 1990's. FB0 approval has been requested
to move forward with the project but serious physical security problems
with the location may force embassy planners to scrap acquisition of this
particular building.
II. OPERATIONS
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. Abidjan Bureau's host government figured prominently in several
key political developments during November. Following charges by the Paris-
based JEUNE AFRIQUE magazine linking Ivory Coast to the coup that toppled
Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara, the ruling PDCI-RDA party Political Bureau
reacted sharply by denying the allegations and banning further distribution
of the magazine in Ivory Coast. London PMU, which shares coverage of the
publication, was able to provide a priority text of the controversial
article and has assumed coverage of the publication for priority African
material until the ban is lifted.
2. The Ivorian minister of National Education issued a statement
on the detention of dissident teacher union members who allegedly wanted to
"transform the Ivory Coast into a laboratory for Marxist ideas." Aside from
the fact that this represented the first public challenge in some years to
President Houphouet-Boigney, the local embassy was particularly interested
because one of those in detention was the Ivorian spouse of an American
citizen who is principal of the American school. The bureau kept the
embassy closely informed on this issue.
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3. The health of two regional leaders resulted in open speaker
watches during the month. The first arose when Niger's Ali Saibou was
named interim chairman of the Supreme Military Council, followed shortly
thereafter by the public announcement that Seyni Kountche, head of state
for the last 13 years, had died after a long illness. The transition
appears to have gone smoothly although there is some speculation that
All Seibou may only be an interim president. He participated in the coup
that brought Kountche to power and no major policy changes have been
announced.
The other open speaker watch was instituted when KUNA reported
President Mobutu of Zaire was near death. The rumor appears unfounded
since he has since had public meetings in Switzerland and the Central
African Republic and has personally denied the rumors of a serious ill-
ness. It was reported however, that his trip to Switzerland resulted in
his being out of country during the Zaire anniversary celebrations for
the first time in over 20 years.
4. Other significant events during the month included two
small-scale ground clashes between Libyan and Chad forces, the first in
over 2 months; the rejection by the Central African Republic Supreme
Court of former Emperor Bokassa's death sentence appeal; Nigeria offering
military training facilities to the ANC; rioting in Lagos stemming from
a traffic altercation which left several dead and in which BBC expressed
a keen interest; and criticism from neighboring countries when Ivory
Coast announced that passenger landing rights had been granted to flights
from RSA.
B. Coverage
The bureau's AFP landline remained out during the month as the
local PTT and Ivorian Press Agency coordinated on a line problem. This
was further complicated by the relocation of the local AFP office which
interrupted testing procedures. The bureau was able to continue coverage
from the AFP high frequency transmission but this necessitated the Wire
doing a daily backstop to fill in the gap after the RTTY version signed
off. It currently appears that a solution is imminent.
II. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
Monitor and teletypists
received PSI's during the month.
STAT
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14 : CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190002-3
III. VISITS
1. \
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3 November and 24, 25 November respectively.
2. Newly assigned Political Assistant
November.
Attachments:
Monthly Production Report
cc: Chief, Swaziland Bureau
Deputy Chief, London Bureau
STAT
/TDY'd at the bureau on
visited on 27
Chief, Abidjan Bureau
STAT
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