The Ivory Coast government says about 270 people have been killed since the bloody uprising by mutinous soldiers began last Thursday. English to Africa reporter Richard Kotey spoke with Kwame Piannim, a political analyst and chairman of New World Investment, Limited. He said he predicted the crisis and that probably a more pro-active role should have been taken by the leaders of the neighboring countries such as Ghana and Nigeria, as well as by South Africa, to prevent it.
Mr. Piannim said this might have forced the Ivorian administration to put in place the government of national unity that it had proposed to promote national stability. He said it’s not too late for the neighboring countries and ECOWAS to help implement the national unity government.
Mr. Piannim said Ivorians should realize that peace and development are good not only for their own country but also for the whole continent; he said what’s happening makes it difficult for investors to invest in African businesses. And he said it’s a shame that a once stable country like Ivory Coast should go through such a crisis at this time in its history.