President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday
presided over a council of ministers meeting at the presidential palace in
Abidjan, the Ivorian capital.
The Ivorian presidency confirmed Ouattara’s attendance in a
statement issued, including pictures showing the president and cabinet members
at the meeting.
Diversification of electricity sources and adequate housing
for citizens were among the topics addressed at the meeting.
The high-level meeting took place amid growing coup reports on
social media in Ivory Coast.
An X-user claimed that Ouattara may have been killed after
military forces allegedly took over on Tuesday.
“Internet access in the country has been disrupted,” the
user wrote.
The allegations were spread across multiple accounts via
various social media platforms, including X, Facebook, TikTok, and mainstream
media platforms.
On Facebook alone, some 9.7k users discussed the alleged
coup, the platform’s metric showed as of Wednesday.
Lassina Doumbia, chief of army staff, was also rumoured to
have been killed.
TheCable spoke to journalists in the French-speaking West
African country to confirm the development. They debunked the reports.
“There is no coup in Côte d’Ivoire. The country is stable,”
Christelle Kouamé, an Ivorian journalist living in Abidjan, said.
Kouamé is also a member of the executive council of the
National Union of Journalists of Côte d’Ivoire and a member of the organisation
of Investigative Journalists in Côte d’Ivoire.
“The president was also recently at the opening of the
Africa CEO Forum. It was last week. There was even a council of ministers
today. And President Ouattara was there,” she added.
“It is fake news. People do what they want with the
internet. But it is thanks to the internet that I speak to you,” she said,
debunking rumours of disrupted internet access.
Coup rumours have become increasingly common in West Africa,
reflecting a region grappling with political instability, weakened democratic
institutions, and growing public distrust in civilian governments.
In recent years, several countries—including Mali, Burkina
Faso, Niger, and Guinea—have experienced successful military takeovers,
fuelling speculation and anxiety in neighbouring states about who might be
next.
Ivory Coast’s coup rumours came as the country prepares to
host the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) annual meetings next week.
A new president is expected to be elected, succeeding
Akinwumi Adesina, who has served two terms.
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