MONTHLY REPORT--ABIDJAN BUREAU--NOVEMBER 1987

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-00733R000100010001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 1, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

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ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET .,~
SUBJECT: (Optional)
Monthly Report -- Abidjan Bureau
FROM:
EXTENSION
NO.
Chief, Operations Group
DATE
STA
November 1987
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITIALS
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
1.
/
C/Ops
2.
4C/E&PS
4
D/FBIS
6.
PO/RA
/
~, r
l29Y
SA/CD
1
I i y
9. DD/c b s
10.
C/AS
11.
C/ E t PS
1
~''~
12.
C/AG
13.
Admin Staff
`J-~
14.
C/BUF
15.
Exec. Reg.
FORM 61 O USE PREVIOUS
I-79 EDITIONS
T
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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
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. FBO 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.
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
Ali 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.
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STAT
1. I ITDY'd at the bureau on
3 November and 24, 25 November respectively.
2. Newly assigned Political Assistant
November.
STAT
Attachments:
Monthly Production Report
cc: Chief, Swaziland Bureau
Deputy Chief, London Bureau
Chief, Abidjan Bureau
STAT
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Abidjan Bureau Production Report for November 1987
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 244233
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 11910
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH: 900
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE:
(minutes or issues per week)
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
BENIN
Cotonou Domestic
French
Parak:ou Domestic
French
Cotonou EHUZU in
French
BURKINA
Ouadoupou Domestic
French
Ouagadougou
French
Ouagadougou
French
CAMEROON
Yaounde Domestic
English
Yaounde Domestic
French
Yaounde CAMEROON
English
Yaounde CAMEROON
French
Service
Service
TR I B U N E
TRIBUNE
CAPE VERDE
Praia VOZ DI POVO in
Portuguese
8037.00 23700.00 113.00
min. min. issues
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Bangui Domestic Service in
French
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 1.1L l Ll ~~
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CHAD
Nd.jamena Domestic Service in
French
CLANDESTINE
(Clandestine) Bardai Chadian National
Radio in
French
CONGO
Brazzaville Domestic Service in
French
Brazzaville BULLETIN QUOTIDIEN in
French
Brazzaville ETUMBA in
French
brazzavii.le mweti in
french
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Data Domestic Service in
Spanish
Malabo Domestic Service in
Spanish
FRANCE
Paris AFP in
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
1C)79t}
English
3370
Paris
AFF' i n
French
28400
Paris
Diplomatic
French
Infor Service in
0
Paris
Diplomatic
English
Infor Service in
Paris JEUNE AFRIQUE in
French
GABON
Libreville Africa No. 1 in
French
*Libreville Africa No.1 in
Enpl i sh
Libreville Domestic Service in
French
7420
2 0
4:30
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 L~ L__-1~1! III
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Libreville L'UNION in
French
GHANA
Accra International Service in
English
Accra
Domestic
Service in
English
Accra
GHANAIAN
TIMES in
English
Accra
PEOPLE'S
DAILY GRAPHIC in
English
Accra
WEEKLY MIRROR in
English
Accra
WEEKLY SPECTATOR in
English
GREAT BRITAIN
London BBC in
Enalish
London WEST AFRICA in
English
GLJ I NEA
Conakry Domestic Service in
French
Conakry HOROYA in
French
GUINEA-BISSAU
Bissau NO P I NTCHA in
PortiigueSe
IVORY COAST
Abidjan Domestic Service in
Fr ent:cl?h
Abidjan Television Service in
French
Abidjan Ivoir'soir in
French
Ab i. d _j an FRATE_RN IfE HEBDO in
French
Abidjan FRATERNITE MATIN in
French
Abidjan I NFORNAT I ON in
French
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
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 - '.- -_ - -- J1 I 1 I _ I I I I I
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Abidjan IVOIRE DIMANCHE in
French
LIBERIA
Monrovia Domestic Service in
_nct 1. i sih
Monrovia REAdio EL-.Wt:) in
English
Monrovia NEW LIBERIAN in
F:_ n g I i s h
MALI
Bamako Domestic Service in
French
Bamako LESSOR in
French
MMAURiiANIA
Noc..cakchott. Domestic Service in
French
Nouakchott CHAAB i ri
French
NIGER
Niamey Dome~st i c Service in
French
Niamey LE SAHEL in
French
Niamey SAHEL. HEBDO in
French
BFROAD- PRESS F*UBL_ I ---
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
NIGERIA
Lagos International Service in
English 600
Lagos Domestic Service in
English 18420
Kaduna Domestic Service in
English 540
Lagos NAN in
Engl i sh
Lagos DAILY TIMES in
English
Lagos THE GUARDIAN in
English
RWANDA
VAgali Dvipe;ticService in
French
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 - _`- I Li L _ i ! .u. A l __
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SENEGAL
Dakar Domestic Service in
French
DAKAR DANA in
ena1ish
Dakar PANA in
French
Dakar- LE SOLEIL in
French
SIERRA LEONE
Freetown Domestic Service in
English
Freetown DAILY MAIL in
English
THE GAMBIA
Ban..i u l GAMBIA NEWS BULLETIN in
English
'TOGO
Lome International Service in
French
Lome Domestic Service in
French
Lome LA NOUVELLE MARCHE in
French
ZAIRE
Kinshasa Domestic Service in
French
Kinshasa AZAP in
French
Kinshasa ELIMA in
French
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/31 CIA-RDP88-00733R000100010001-2