Ivory Coast government, rebels say civil war over

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Ivory Coast's government and rebel officials declared an official end to this West African nation's civil war on Friday, nine months after fighting erupted following a failed attempt to oust President Laurent Gbagbo.

Army and rebel representatives addressed the nation together on national television, and were followed in their remarks by Gbagbo, who praised the return of peace to the country.

It was unclear why Friday was chosen to formally declare peace in Ivory Coast. Despite a power-sharing government, the country remains tense and is still divided along cease-fire lines between the government-held south and rebel-held north.

In a joint declaration, the government and rebel forces said they "declare the end of the war today, July 4, 2003" and called "all people living on Ivorian territory to follow in the path of peace."

All sides said administrative services would soon return to the northern occupied zones in the former French colony.

Earlier Friday, thousands of youths gathered in downtown Abidjan, Ivory Coast's government-held commercial capital, promising to demonstrate Saturday against the participation of former rebel leaders in the government. They also promised to attack any rebel minister they saw in the streets.

Last week, angry youths loyal to Gbagbo surrounded the national television station when they learned that Guillaume Soro, the leader of the main rebel movement and now minister of communications, was visiting the building.

Later, rebels threatened to discontinue their disarmament plans and to pull their ministers back to the rebel stronghold -- Bouake, Ivory Coast's second-largest city -- because they feared for their safety.

But there has been little fighting in Ivory Coast since rebel and government officials signed a cease-fire in early May, and a national unity government -- which includes members of rebel movements, opposition parties and Gbagbo's party -- has met several times.

About 4,000 French soldiers are working with 1,200 West African peacekeepers to patrol the cease-fire line. Twenty-six U.N. officers, representing 19 countries, have also arrived in Ivory Coast to help monitor the peace.

The conflict broke out Sept. 19 with a coup attempt against Gbagbo, whom rebels accused of fanning ethnic hatreds.

Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, was for decades known as West Africa's most stable and prosperous country since it gained independence from France in 1960. That reputation was shattered with a 1999 coup, and the country has been volatile ever since.

The government says that more than 3,000 have died in the last nine months of fighting. About 1 million have been displaced from their homes.