MONTHLY REPORT--ABIDJAN BUREAU--APRIL 1987

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190020-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: May 1, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190020-3
EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
ABIDJAN BUREAU
MAB 6034
I May 87
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, FBIS
THRU:. Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT: Monthly Report--Abidjan Bureau--April 1987
I. OPERATIONS
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. April marked the end of a several month lull in political activity
in Abidjan's coverage area. Nicaraguan Foreign Minister D'Escoto toured the
area and came away with agreements on new diplomatic ties with both Zaire
and Ivory Coast, and Romanian President Ceausescu also visited several countries.
Several regional conferences were held, the most important of which was a
meeting of the OAU ad hoc committee looking into the Chad-Libyan conflict.
The Libreville meeting eventually decided to send a ministerial delegation
to Chad and Libya and to set up a cartographer group to examine the contested
Aosou Strip issue. Chad and all its neighbors with the exception of Libya
attended the meeting.
2. Shuttle diplomacy involving Chad figured promimently during the
month. Former GUNT leader Goukouni Oueddei traveled widely throughout the
area and met with several heads of state amidst speculation on efforts at
reconciliation with Chad President Habre and Neo-GUNT rival Acheikh ibn Oumar.
While in Togo, he also met with Chad secretary of state for foreign affairs
but nothing definitive emerged. Both Zaire's Mcbotu and Mali's Traore made
visits to Chad. Burkina Faso President Sankara, and later his foreign minis-
ter, made unannounced visits to Libya. Sankara also met unexpectedly with
Ghana President Rawlings.
3. Sierra Leone ousted its vice president in 'a cabinet reshuffle,
and Senegal dismissed most of its police force in a labor dispute. Major
peaceful pro-Libyan rallies took place in Ghana and Burkina Faso to mark the
anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Libya. Iran announced it was to open an
embassy in Ghana.
B. Coverage
Coverage of events was somewhat complicated during the month by the
loss of the bureau's ANP French landline from 9 April to 23 April due to
technical. The bureau was able to monitor the AFP high frequency
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190020-3
I I
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190020-3
-2-
beam as a backstop and the Wire assumed coverage between AFP-HF sign off at
1900 GMT and bureau COB at 2230 GMT.
C. Technical
Two Victor VPCII computers, two Epson FX-85 printers, and BACH soft-
ware and hardware were received on 7 April. The equipment has been installed
and is currently being used off-line for training the teletypists.
II ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
1. Senior monitor,
received a PSI during the month.
2. The bureau chief returned from the Bureau Chiefs Conference and
annual leave on 11 April.
B. Buildings and Grounds
1. With the exception of installation of various deadbolt locks and
optical viewers at some residences and solid vehicular gates at all staff
residences, the residential security enhancements, which were begun last fall,
have been completed.
2. Junior editor ill move to a new residence in
mid-June. The location of her present house was determined to be unsafe by
the post regional security officer. The FBIS security officer also expressed
concern about the location of Fleitman's house during his visit here last
fall. The Embassy has beenA prying to avoid housing mission employees in resi-
dences adjacent to vacant lo because experience has shown that such houses
are more prone to robbers. \... 4z
3. Auto burglar alarms for the bureau's three official vehicles have
been received and tested. Barring major malfunctions, installation will be
completed within 2 weeks.
III. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
On 27 April, the bureau chief briefed a visiting U.S. National Defense
University delegation on FBIS/Abidjan activities.
Bureau Chief, Abidjan Bureau
Attachments:
Monthly Production Report
cc: Chief, Swaziland Bureau
Deputy Chief, London Bureau
npriacsified in Part- Sanitized CopyApprovedforRelease2012/08/14 CIA-RDP94-00798R000200190020-3
STAT
STAT
STA7