JOYEUX NOEL DE PARIS...MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM PARIS

On my way to Paris......

Angelitos,

Je serai a nouveau parmi vous cela n'est plus qu'une question d'heures...! He oui je suis de retour a Paname la belle pour les fetes de fin d'annee. J'espere que l'on aura l'occasion de passer un peu de temps ensemble a bavarder et rigoler comme dab. Bon courage a ma mafia abidjannaise qui celebra les fetes a couper decaller, bande de faroteurs! , Ca Aller comme on dit! Les Frenchies on se voit bientot for the others spread out in London, Geneva, Bruxelles, The US, Den Haag, Montreal, Ottawa, Beirut, Jordan, Kinshasa....and all over the world, we'll find time to meet sometimes in 2007 hopefully.

Take care

Bisous a la famille et aux potes

fatou xxx

Crisis in Abidjan

Hi Friends,

The current political situation in Abidjan is very tense. First, the recent presidential decrees on the dismissal of the directors of the Radio Television Ivoirienne (RTI) and national newspaper Fraternite Matin led to demonstrations in Abidjan and other cities under government control (South of Cote d'Ivoire). Second, the decision of the President to lift the suspension of people allegedly involved in the toxic waste scandal also led to protests by pro-opposition members. Many people among pro-opposition sympathisers have been arrested, some injured/hospitalised and even worse some were killed. In Abidjan many of those demonstrations took place between 4 am and 6 am. This morning a bus was burnt in treichville (Abidjan district) as you can see on the picture. Consequently, we were asked to stay home till 9.30 am for security reasons. Since a week the security is very volatile so we are requested to listen to security broadcast on the radio every morning. It might sound terrible for you guys living under such a stability but actually I am pretty fine. I have a kind of normal life even if I always have to be alert. Unfortunately I am used to now. I am still going to the gym, meeting friends.... Life has to continue somehow. It is great, the pool in my building has been repaired so I spend my sunday sun bathing at the pool so gooooooood!

Anyway I did not want to scare you but just to make you aware about what is happenning here because I do not know if it is covered by the international press. Do not worry for me.

Take care

Bisous

fatou xxx