Guillaume Soro
Encyclopedia
Guillaume Kigbafori Soro (born 8 May 1972 in Ferkessédougou
, Côte d'Ivoire) has served as the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire since 4 April 2007. Prior to his service as Prime Minister, Soro led the Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
and later the New Forces
rebel group as its Secretary-General.
in the north of the country, Soro led the rebel Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
(MPCI) in a September 2002 rebellion against the government of President Laurent Gbagbo
that triggered the Ivorian Civil War. In December 2002 Soro's MPCI combined with two other rebel groups – Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West
(MPIGO) and Movement for Justice and Peace
(MJP) – to form the les Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire
(New Forces). He became Secretary-general of the group.
was violently broken up in March 2004, Soro and other former rebel and opposition ministers began boycotting the government. In turn, Gbagbo dismissed Soro from his position, along with two other ministers, on 19 May 2004. Soro denounced this move, saying that it was effectively a coup by Gbagbo against the peace agreement. On 9 August 2004 Soro attended a cabinet meeting and was reinstated in his position. On 28 December 2005, Soro was appointed minister of reconstruction and reintegration in the government of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny
; in this position he became the second ranking member of the government, after the prime minister. He did not, however, attend a cabinet meeting in this capacity until 15 March 2006.
In a speech broadcast on 13 April, Soro apologized "to everybody and on behalf of everybody" for the harm caused by the war.
Soro, as Prime Minister, was barred from standing in the 2010 presidential election by the peace agreement. Soro said in a March 2008 interview with Jeune Afrique
that he would discuss his future political plans following the election. Rumors have suggested that Soro and Gbagbo have secretly agreed on an arrangement whereby Soro would support Gbagbo in the election and, in exchange, Gbagbo would back Soro in the subsequent presidential election; Soro derided these rumors as "gossip". Describing himself as an "arbiter of the electoral process", he said that the New Forces would not back any candidate and its members could vote for whomever they wished.
When the Gbagbo-allied Constitutional Council proclaimed the result of the 2010 poll and Gbagbo was sworn in, Soro resigned as prime minister, supporting opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara
, who had been declared the winner by the electoral commission, politically closed to him. Ouattara reappointed Soro after taking the oath of office by writing at a rival ceremony.
. The Fokker 100 carrying Prime Minister
Guillaume Soro
, members of his delegation, and 20 journalists was taxiing on the runway after landing when it was targeted by rocket
and Kalashnikov
fire. One rocket struck and exploded in the cabin, one missed, and a third bounced off the fuselage and did not detonate. Four people were killed and ten others wounded; Soro was not injured. Those who died were:
Soro and Gbagbo participated in disarmament ceremony, the "peace flame", on 30 July. This ceremony involved burning weapons to symbolize the end of the conflict.
Several rumors concerning the masterminds of the attack have circulated in the Ivorian press. Among those suspected:
Since Côte d'Ivoire is the most important cocoa producer in the world, the price of this raw material reached its highest level in four years on the London Stock Exchange
and New York Stock Exchange
. Underlying concern, according to a stock market analyst, was "the possible worsening of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire".
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Ferkessédougou
Ferkessédougou is the second largest town in northern Côte d'Ivoire. Ferkessédougou is also the administrative seat of the Ferkessédougou Department, one of four Departments in the Savanes Region...
, Côte d'Ivoire) has served as the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire since 4 April 2007. Prior to his service as Prime Minister, Soro led the Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
The Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire was the major rebel group in the Ivorian Civil War, which since 2005, has transformed itself into a leading political party.-Background of the MPCI and the Civil War:...
and later the New Forces
Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire
The Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire is a political coalition that was formed in December 2002, in the wake of the first peace accords of the Ivorian Civil War.-Composition:FNCI includes these political parties:...
rebel group as its Secretary-General.
Ivorian Civil War
A Roman Catholic from DiawalaDiawala
Diawala is a city and commune in the Savanes region of Côte d'Ivoire.It is the birthplace of Guillaume Soro....
in the north of the country, Soro led the rebel Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire
The Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire was the major rebel group in the Ivorian Civil War, which since 2005, has transformed itself into a leading political party.-Background of the MPCI and the Civil War:...
(MPCI) in a September 2002 rebellion against the government of President Laurent Gbagbo
Laurent Gbagbo
Laurent Koudou Gbagbo served as the fourth President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. A historian by profession, he is also an amateur chemist and physicist....
that triggered the Ivorian Civil War. In December 2002 Soro's MPCI combined with two other rebel groups – Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West
Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West
The Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West .One of two rebel movements in the west of Côte d'Ivoire, created to reinforce the rebel presence after the Marcoussis accords. Founded by sergent Félix Doh , MPIGO recruited mostly in the ethnicly libéro-ivoirienne Dan/Yacouba speaking region...
(MPIGO) and Movement for Justice and Peace
Movement for Justice and Peace
The Movement for Justice and Peace is one of two rebel groups from the west of Côte d'Ivoire, which took part in the Ivorian Civil War. The MJP was estimated to have 250 men under arms, commanded by Gaspard Déli, when it signed a ceasefire on 8 January 2003...
(MJP) – to form the les Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire
Forces nouvelles
Forces nouvelles can refer to:*Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire: a political party coalition and one of the sides in the Ivorian Civil War...
(New Forces). He became Secretary-general of the group.
Political career
Following a peace agreement in January 2003, Soro joined the government as communications minister in April 2003. The New Forces ministers began a boycott of the government in September 2003 and returned to the government in January 2004. After an opposition demonstration held in AbidjanAbidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
was violently broken up in March 2004, Soro and other former rebel and opposition ministers began boycotting the government. In turn, Gbagbo dismissed Soro from his position, along with two other ministers, on 19 May 2004. Soro denounced this move, saying that it was effectively a coup by Gbagbo against the peace agreement. On 9 August 2004 Soro attended a cabinet meeting and was reinstated in his position. On 28 December 2005, Soro was appointed minister of reconstruction and reintegration in the government of Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny
Charles Konan Banny
Charles Konan Banny was Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from 7 December 2005 until 4 April 2007.Banny joined the Central Bank of West African States in 1976, holding various positions in the Bank over the years. In 1988 he became Special Advisor to the Governor of BCEAO...
; in this position he became the second ranking member of the government, after the prime minister. He did not, however, attend a cabinet meeting in this capacity until 15 March 2006.
Prime minister
Following a peace deal signed on 4 March 2007, it was considered a possibility that Soro would be named prime minister in a new government, and Gbagbo was said to want Soro as the next prime minister. In an interview published on 26 March, Soro said that he would be willing to become prime minister. An agreement was signed on the same day according to which Soro would become prime minister, and Gbagbo was expected to officially appoint him to the position, which he did on 29 March. Soro took office on 4 April, and his government was named on 7 April, with 32 ministers (excluding Soro himself); this was slightly fewer than in Banny's government, and Soro's government contained many of the same ministers as its predecessor.In a speech broadcast on 13 April, Soro apologized "to everybody and on behalf of everybody" for the harm caused by the war.
Soro, as Prime Minister, was barred from standing in the 2010 presidential election by the peace agreement. Soro said in a March 2008 interview with Jeune Afrique
Jeune Afrique
Jeune Afrique is a weekly newsmagazine published in Paris, founded in Tunis by Béchir Ben Yahmed on October 17, 1960. It covers the political, economic and cultural spheres of Africa, with an emphasis on Francophone Africa and the Maghreb....
that he would discuss his future political plans following the election. Rumors have suggested that Soro and Gbagbo have secretly agreed on an arrangement whereby Soro would support Gbagbo in the election and, in exchange, Gbagbo would back Soro in the subsequent presidential election; Soro derided these rumors as "gossip". Describing himself as an "arbiter of the electoral process", he said that the New Forces would not back any candidate and its members could vote for whomever they wished.
When the Gbagbo-allied Constitutional Council proclaimed the result of the 2010 poll and Gbagbo was sworn in, Soro resigned as prime minister, supporting opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2011. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of West African States , and he was the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from November 1990 to...
, who had been declared the winner by the electoral commission, politically closed to him. Ouattara reappointed Soro after taking the oath of office by writing at a rival ceremony.
Assassination attempt
On 29 June 2007 rockets were fired at Soro's plane at the airport in BouakéBouaké
Bouaké is the second largest city in Côte d'Ivoire, with a population of 775,300 . It is the main urban settlement of the Bouaké Department with a population exceeding 1.2 million, in the Vallée du Bandama Region...
. The Fokker 100 carrying Prime Minister
Heads of government of Côte d'Ivoire
-Prime Ministers of Côte d'Ivoire :-Affiliations:-Sources:*http://www.rulers.org* Guinness Book of Kings Rulers & Statesmen, Clive Carpenter, Guinness Superlatives Ltd...
Guillaume Soro
Guillaume Soro
Guillaume Kigbafori Soro has served as the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire since 4 April 2007...
, members of his delegation, and 20 journalists was taxiing on the runway after landing when it was targeted by rocket
Rocket propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system which fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable while others are single-use. RPGs, with the exception of...
and Kalashnikov
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
fire. One rocket struck and exploded in the cabin, one missed, and a third bounced off the fuselage and did not detonate. Four people were killed and ten others wounded; Soro was not injured. Those who died were:
- Sékou Doumbia, member of the Protocole d’Etat serving the premiership
- Souleymane Sérifou, member of the Protocole d’Etat serving the premiership
- Ex-Lieutenant Drissa Ouattara, Prime Minister's security chief
- Ex-Corporal Siaka Diomandé, Prime Minister's bodyguard Arrests were subsequently reported.
Soro and Gbagbo participated in disarmament ceremony, the "peace flame", on 30 July. This ceremony involved burning weapons to symbolize the end of the conflict.
Several rumors concerning the masterminds of the attack have circulated in the Ivorian press. Among those suspected:
- Chérif Ousman: commander of the New Forces linked to Guillaume Soro but opposed to the Ouagadougou Accord. He reproached Soro for not having consulted with him before signing the accord.
- Ibrahim CoulibalyIbrahim CoulibalyIbrahim Coulibaly was a military and rebel leader in Côte d'Ivoire. A Staff Sargent in the Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, Coulibaly had served since at least the early 1990s. As Côte d'Ivoire slid into communal conflict, Coulibaly joined the 1999 coup led by Robert Guéï...
, former rebel leader and New Forces member who is an enemy of Soro. - The United Nations Operation in Côte d'IvoireUnited Nations Operation in Côte d'IvoireThe United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire is a peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"...
(UNOCI): accused by the New Forces of having failed to secure the location, which was their responsibility. Soro sought an international investigation, adding, "The only thing I ask is that I want to see the truth exposed, to know what happened, who did it, and why it was done."
Since Côte d'Ivoire is the most important cocoa producer in the world, the price of this raw material reached its highest level in four years on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
. Underlying concern, according to a stock market analyst, was "the possible worsening of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire".
External links
- MPCI Official website Review of Guillaume Soro: Pourquoi je suis devenu un rebelle éditions Hachette Littératures (2005).
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