Six men have been jailed for terms of up to 20 years for their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt in early 2001 in Côte d’Ivoire. Seven others were acquitted, the pro-state Fraternite Matin daily reported. At the end of the three-week long court case, four of the accused were found guilty of taking part in the alleged 7-8 January plot to overthrow President Laurent Gbagbo's government and of being part of an armed group. Each received a 20-year sentence. Two others were given three-year jail terms for the illegal possession of firearms, the newspaper said.

The IMF has approved a three- year credit for Côte d’Ivoire’s integrated poverty alleviation strategy.

Cote D'Ivoire used to be one of the economic success stories of West Africa but with a military coup and economic slowdown its star has dimmed. Now a civilian government is back in the saddle and things may change. THis report from News Update focuse on the ICT sector in the country.

The steering committee of Côte d’Ivoire’s National Reconciliation Forum has submitted to President Laurent Gbagbo the results of a three-month public debate in which representatives of political, religious, non-governmental, academic and other groups analysed and proposed solutions for the country's socio-political problems.

The aide-de-camp of Côte d’Ivoire’s former de facto ruler, General Robert Guei, and six other soldiers are being detained at the military prison in Abidjan after being charged on Thursday with threatening state security, local media reported.

Two leading members of the opposition Rassemblement des republicains (RDR) left court free men on Friday after being acquitted of charges linked to election-related violence last year.

While heavy rains have pounded southern Côte d'Ivoire in recent weeks, wells in the northern area of Bodokro are virtually dry. A canal built recently in the locality may have to wait a few weeks before it collects its first rainwater.

Côte d'Ivoire's authorities hope to integrate some 20,000 Liberian children into the education system in the next school year, which starts in October, but first a number of hurdles need to be surmounted, participants in a workshop held to discuss the idea noted. Examining the technical and socio-psychological obstacles facing the proposed project and coming up with ways to ensure its success was the focus of the meeting, held on 7-9 May in the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, 241 km north of Abidjan.