Final Communiqué
1. At the invitation of the General Secretariat, the Central Committee of the Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI) met in its 4th ordinary session of the year 2020, on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, in Abidjan-Cocody Riviera 3, at 10:55 a.m. at 4:14 p.m., under the effective chairmanship of Comrade Sébastien DANO DJEDJE, Vice-President in charge of political dialogue, national reconciliation and social cohesion.
2. The agenda for this session covered the following points:
• Information
• Assessment of the pre and post-election crisis of 2020
• Return of President Laurent Gbagbo
• Analysis of the national and international situation and prospects
3. All members of the statutory structures of the Central Committee responded to this ordinary session, apart from the members excused for reasons of exile and health or other major constraints.
4. Before opening the meeting, the President observed a minute of silence in memory of all the comrades who have disappeared in recent months, in particular Comrade Karim TRAORE, member of the Central Committee of the Ivorian Popular Front who died on Friday, December 11, 2020. .
5. For information, the Central Committee heard a communication from comrade MADI Bouabré, Deputy Secretary General in charge of financial resources and the Party’s assets. It emerges from the said communication that the level of collection of contributions from activists does not meet the Party’s expectations. The Central Committee urges each activist to fulfill this obligation and instructs the General Secretariat to make the necessary arrangements for this purpose.
6. The Central Committee also heard a report from the General Secretariat on the solidarity activities carried out in the past period. Thus, it was noted a great mobilization of the militants of the Ivorian Popular Front during the deaths of the son of Vice-President Laurent AKOUN, of the mother of the late Minister Emile BOGA Doudou and of Professor Vincent BA ZEZE, member of the Central Committee. The Central Committee was also informed of the deaths of comrades Karim TRAORE, member of the Central Committee, Marcel BEHONAO, Secretary General of the Federation of KOUIBLI, David OBLE, member of the Federation of Dabou and GRAH Déré, member of the Permanent Political Council.
7. The Central Committee welcomed the solidarity of the activists during the funerals of these deceased comrades. The Central Committee insisted on the duty of solidarity that is imposed on every activist of the Ivorian Popular Front whenever a comrade finds himself in difficulty.
8. Addressing its second item on the agenda, the Central Committee heard a communication on the assessment of the pre and post-election crisis of 2020. It follows from this communication that as of December 10, 2020, the assessment is presented as follows:
1. Number of deceased persons: 86;
2. Number of people injured: 102;
3. Number of people arrested and referred: 376 including 299 FPI activists and sympathizers.
The report notes that the number of people injured and arrested is likely to be revised upwards depending on additional information during treatment.
The report also highlights significant material damage in several localities in the country, including several burned villages. The Central Committee also heard a communication from the Secretary General relating to the meetings he had with the Federations and the National Secretaries of the Regions in charge of the district of Abidjan. The purpose of these meetings was to take stock of the mobilization of Party structures during the civil disobedience operation in the district of Abidjan. The Central Committee took note of the conclusions of this communication and instructed the Secretary General to pursue this initiative at the level of the other federations.
9. The Central Committee respectfully bows to the memory of the victims of the bloody repression of protests by the dictatorial RHDP regime. He offers his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and his best wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured. The Central Committee instructs the General Secretariat to take all the necessary measures to bring legal and social assistance to the imprisoned comrades.
10. The Central Committee expresses its compassion and solidarity to the Secretary General, Dr ASSOA Adou as well as to the members of his family for the kidnapping of which they were victims from November 2 to 12, 2020. It also expresses its solidarity to the Chairman of the Committee of Control, Prof. Hubert OULAYE, for the blockade of his home.
11. The Central Committee welcomes the exemplary mobilization of young people, women and all the activists and sympathizers who, despite the deployment of the armed militias of Mr. Alassane Dramane Ouattara, were able to demonstrate with determination their opposition to the 3rd unconstitutional mandate.12. The Central Committee congratulates the National Secretaries of the Region, the Secretaries General of the Federation and the members of their office, the young people, the women, the members of the Central Committee and the Party officials who have been able to cope, through their involvement and their determination, to all intimidation maneuvers to allow the expression of the rejection, by the people of Côte d’Ivoire, of the third unconstitutional mandate of Mr. Alassane Dramane Ouattara.
13. Turning to the third item of the agenda relating to the return of President Laurent GBAGBO, the Central Committee heard a communication from the Secretary General relating to the issuance of an ordinary passport and a diplomatic passport to President Laurent GBAGBO. The Secretary General clarified that President Laurent GBAGBO wishes to return to Côte d’Ivoire in December 2020 and asked him to contact the Ivorian authorities to agree on the terms of his return.
14. The Central Committee welcomed this information and instructed the Secretary General to act diligently to speed up the process of the return of President Laurent GBAGBO to Côte d’Ivoire, in particular by setting up an organizing committee. The Central Committee took note of the Secretary General’s plan to organize, in the coming weeks, an information and mobilization tour of activists throughout the country for their involvement in the organization of the effective return of President Laurent GBAGBO in Ivory Coast.
15. The Central Committee considers the return of President Laurent GBAGBO as the absolute priority of its fight and instructs all Party structures to mobilize for this purpose.
16. Turning to the 4th item of the agenda, the Central Committee opened a wide debate on the analysis of the situation and the prospects. It follows from this debate that;
• The return of President Laurent GBAGBO is the top priority in the fight of the Ivorian Popular Front, which will send missions inside the country to mobilize its militants and invite them to prepare for this return;
• The Ivorian Popular Front will respond to all invitations from the Government for political dialogue which should cover all the conditions that can make it possible to restore democracy and lasting peace in Côte d’Ivoire;
• The Ivorian Popular Front, while resolutely continuing the fight for the creation of a consensual framework for the organization of fair and transparent elections, will participate in legislative, municipal and regional elections and will, in consultation with its partners in the coalition of Ivorian opposition platforms, in particular with the PDCI-RDA, the means to win them over.
17. The Central Committee invites all activists, all sympathizers, in the Federations, the Sections and the Grassroots Committees, to mobilize and continue the fight for the return of President Laurent Gbagbo in Côte d’Ivoire. The Central Committee remains seized of the matter.
Done in Abidjan, December 22, 2020
The Central Committee
