Riots hit Abidjan

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 8

Riots hit Abidjan

NZPA-Reuter Abidjan, Ivory Coast The Ivory Coast Cabinet met in emergency session after rioting broke out between Ivoriartf and. Mauritanians in jAbidjan, the capital of the prosperous West African State. An official communique said President Felix Hou-phouet-Boigny asked . the Cabinet to review the rioting be ween Ivorians and members of the small, trade-oria entated Mauritanian community in Abidjan. He said law and order would be maintained at all costs. > One Ivorian was killed and several people were knifed during the inter-com-munal rioting which began on Tuesday, .the communique : said. Scores of owned shops were looted before the Ivorian police and army intervened, it added. Informed sources said scuffles between the two

, ethnic groups were still going on yesterday. They : said the death toll from dagger wounds was much high* ■er than officially acknow- ' ledged, but they could not give a precise figure. Hospital sources said dozens of people were being ■ treated for knife wounds. President Hoiiphouet-Boig- *; ny, who has always main- ' tained that his country is open to all foreign nationals, i said all necessary measures . had been taken “so that law and order shall be preserved *• at all costs,” the communi- . que said. The Youpougon township *■ is mainly peopled by Mau- \ ritanians, as well as ’ nationals from Upper; Volta, \ Mali, and Guinea. After the rioting, many n areas of the city of more than one million people were ■without bread as all Mauritanian shopkeepers brought down their shutters to avoid being looted.