COTE DIVOIRE: Climate of fear around ?Republic of Golf?

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

ABIDJAN, 24 January 2011 (IRIN) - More than a month after clashes between forces loyal to Côte d’Ivoire’s rival claimants to the presidency, the sound of gunfire still echoes loudly in the memories of those living around the Golf Hotel, where Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of a 28 November election, and his associates, are holed up under UN protection.   The luxury, 300-room hotel, on Abidjan’s Boulvard de France, in the Riviéra District of the city, is virtually besieged by army troops loyal to Laurent Gbabgo. It was here on 2 December that Côte d’Ivoire’s Commission Electorale Indépendante (CEI) confirmed Ouattara’s victory in the face of competing claims from Gbagbo and his supporters, who have subsequently referred derisively to Ouattara’s “Republic of Golf”. The only way into the hotel is by UN helicopter.   Few private cars or communal taxis now drive along the main road linking the hotel to Plateau, Abidjan’s business district. Fifteen hundred metres from the hotel, all vehicles heading to nearby districts have to leave the tarmac and use a bumpy dirt track to avoid the army’s roadblock, where troops are supported by a military tank.   Soldiers with weapons drawn search all vehicles taking the dirt road. There is no jovial chit-chat as documents are checked.   “My heart beats faster whenever I see the solders,” said Marcelline, a 32-year-old seamstress who lives in the district of Anono.   “We are fearful every day because we don’t know when hostilities will break out again,” she said, fingering her rosary.   “For us believers, everything is in God’s hands. He must not abandon us and let this country go to the dogs,” she added.   In the nearby markets and shops, purchases are made in bulk, despite the rising cost of food. [ http://irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91472 ]   “Every time I shop, I buy for a week. If things blow up, I want to have enough supplies for a few days before thinking about moving somewhere else further away,” said Louisette, a secondary school teacher.   She has no time for the political machinations that have so polarized the country. “I don’t see why we are not allowed through. People live there, they still need freedom,” she said.   Empty flats, nervous soldiers Close by the hotel, a high-rise housing block stands empty, its appartments firmly locked. The 300 residents have moved out after a fire fight between rival armies on 16 December. “There is nobody left. Everyone has gone their own way, waiting for the situation to get back to normal,” explained the building’s security guard, Oumar Ouédraogo.   Bank employee Arthur Kouassi, 48, visits his flat every day. “I come to make sure nothing is missing, that nothing has been taken away”, he said. The outside wall of his home is pockmarked with bullet holes. “Bullets were flying everywhere and some took the lives of children here. We had to leave for our safety.”   In M’Pouto, a district to the east of the Golf Hotel, anti-Ouattara feelings run high among the Gbagbo-supporting Ebrié community. Additional roadblocks are frequently set up here and residents blame Ouattara for the inconvenience. “We have held many meetings and our message is clear: those in the Golf Hotel should leave. They do not recognize president Gbagbo as the head of state. We are ready to dislodge him [Ouattara] soon,” said one resident, Antoine.   Charles, one of his cousins, is a member of a local self-defence group. “They [Ouattara and his supporters in the Golf Hotel] are unwanted neighbours and we don’t want them taking refuge here and disrespecting the state. Because of them we sleep with one eye open, for fear of surprises,” he said.   Here, the market, schools and other facilities, public and private, are mostly working as normal, in defiance of a stay-at-home strike called by the Ouattara camp. But in recent days, at the slightest loud noise, all shops shut and the area fills up with soldiers, residents said.   “We can see that the soldiers are nervous. Personally, I don’t go on to the road to find transport any more. I prefer to stay at home with the children,” said Affou, a retired nurse. aa/am/cs/cb © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org