Lots of coverage on the protests:
Ivory Coast Women Condemn French
BBC News
Feb 3, 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2720753.stm
Thousands of women have surrounded the French embassy in the Ivory Coast
commercial capital, Abidjan, angered by a French-brokered peace plan.
The women, dressed in the national colours of orange, green and white waved
tree branches and shouted "Chirac, liar".
This is the latest demonstration by supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo,
accusing the French of forcing him to share power with rebels.
Women March Against Accord in Tense Ivory Coast
Mon February 3, 2003
Loucoumane Coulibaly
Reuters
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=2156800
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Thousands of women in paper hats danced and chanted in
a march to the French embassy in Ivory Coast on Monday as protests against
a French-brokered peace deal to end war in the world's top cocoa grower
began a second week.
A return to chaos looms over the West African country after former colonial
power France insisted that President Laurent Gbagbo stick to the agreement
his supporters have rejected. Rebels said they would resume fighting if he
did not.
"We want Gbagbo, the people chose him," chanted women decked in orange,
white and green, the national colors, as they swayed peacefully along the
street to France's embassy in Abidjan -- a marked contrast to last week's
attacks by stone-throwing youths.
Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Abidjan on Saturday to protest
against a power-sharing deal worked out near Paris last month that they
said gives too much to the rebels. The army has also challenged the deal.
