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Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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Speaker 2: Protesters have taken to the streets in the Ivory Coast

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Speaker 2: as opposition leaders have been blocked from October's general election.

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Speaker 2: Eighty three year old President Alassan Watara looks set to

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Speaker 2: extend his rule of the world's biggest cocoa producer, but

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Speaker 2: there's growing fears the election could turn violent.

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Speaker 1: We say to President Alassan Watara, the Ivorian law, the

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Speaker 1: Ivorian constitution has provided that he can take his pen

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Speaker 1: to write an amnesty law to erase all this.

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Speaker 2: On this episode of The Next Africa Podcast, we'll look

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Speaker 2: at what's behind the protests in Abijan and whether this

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Speaker 2: week's action is a sign of more unrest to come.

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Speaker 2: I'm Jennifer Zambasaja, and this is the Next Africa Podcast,

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Speaker 2: bringing you one story each week from the continent driving

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Speaker 2: the future of global growth, but the context only Bloomberg

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Speaker 2: can provide. And joining me this week is our reporter

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Speaker 2: Kamai Ludini Tagba, who is in Abijan and reports for

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Speaker 2: us for Bloomberg Comal, it's your first time on the podcast.

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Speaker 2: Thanks so much for coming. I was in the Ivory

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Speaker 2: Coast earlier this year with you and got to see

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Speaker 2: a bit on the ground, which we'll talk about in

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Speaker 2: a bit, but let's just start maybe with a bit

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Speaker 2: of context on what we've seen over the past few

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Speaker 2: days and what really led to the protests. Talk to

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Speaker 2: us about what was behind it and what it means

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Speaker 2: for the elections coming up in October.

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Speaker 1: Afriquency is actually corens are preparing elections in October, and

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Speaker 1: this jation right now is that majority of big names

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Speaker 1: in oppositions have been left out of this election. The

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Speaker 1: likes of Gentam, the formacye of Creditsus, the former president

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Speaker 1: around Bago, for my Prime Minister gam Sorrow and for

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Speaker 1: my youth Minister Blackwood Day, all of them have been

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Speaker 1: left out of the votest list. So this has caused

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Speaker 1: some havoc in the country. People are so angry at

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Speaker 1: the president. The thing the president controls the ruling party

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Speaker 1: of Alasandrama Water controls the electoral Commission, which the commission

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Speaker 1: rejects totally. So people want Bagbo, Gentam and Blackwood Day

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Speaker 1: and as well as Kumsoro to be on the votest

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Speaker 1: list because they believe that if they are on the

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Speaker 1: votest with the election will be very inclusive and very democratic.

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Speaker 2: So it's it's really been building up. It seems like

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Speaker 2: the tensions on the ground. Talk to us about President Watara,

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Speaker 2: because as you mentioned, he's been in office for for

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Speaker 2: quite some time. Can you give us a bit of

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Speaker 2: background about who he is and what the response has

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Speaker 2: been to his administration and some of the things that

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Speaker 2: he's done.

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Speaker 1: President Watara is very well known in africause he's he

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Speaker 1: takes himself for being the head of the funding father

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Speaker 1: of Fanny because he was very young when he started

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Speaker 1: working for fubuany he was working for the International Monetary

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Speaker 1: Fund as a director and he was recruited by the

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Speaker 1: president to come and help the country to REVEALMP the economy,

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Speaker 1: which he did pretty well. And then after he was

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Speaker 1: a prime minister by then, when Fubani died, he became

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Speaker 1: very popular in the country. He went to a new

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Speaker 1: position because after Futbar died, it was a food by

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Speaker 1: Speaker of the parliament back then was Ariconnabidi of PDCI

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Speaker 1: that took over. So he is very popular in the

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Speaker 1: sub region. The model of economy of Africos has become

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Speaker 1: role model for every country in the sub scenaria, especially

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Speaker 1: Franco fund countries. I know that Gobon Guinea knacre all

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Speaker 1: of them taking advice from what are So he has

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Speaker 1: really refound the economy of this country. When it's come

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Speaker 1: to infrastructure, a lot has been done it. In terms

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Speaker 1: of education, he builds a number of universities. I think

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Speaker 1: the country was having two university when he came to power.

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Speaker 1: They are now they're having up to ten universities under

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Speaker 1: his leadership. He also built several bridges and he also

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Speaker 1: builds so many infrastructures. When it's come to schools, hospitals,

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Speaker 1: he also evened the economy and economy is doing pretty

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Speaker 1: well when it's come to ratues and also currently the

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Speaker 1: country is home to twenty four companies that are at

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Speaker 1: leasted on stock market. The stock market is here in Africast.

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Speaker 1: We have forty seven of them in total. Thirty four

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Speaker 1: of them are in agricust So this is a very

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Speaker 1: big economy. Now when it's come to creative people believe

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Speaker 1: that he has done all this by borrowing money from

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Speaker 1: international banks, which they don't like. They believe that he

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Speaker 1: has indebted the country and when he leaves, people believe

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Speaker 1: that that will remain on the plate and then the

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Speaker 1: country will be suffered from that. You know, in Africa,

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Speaker 1: we have this tendency of not accepting that. People don't

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Speaker 1: like that. When you hear that you oralism funds from somebody,

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Speaker 1: they believe that you are tied to the person. Most

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Speaker 1: importantly is I don't want to say he's overstaying, but

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Speaker 1: the fact that he has extended his leadership is t

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Speaker 1: neer in the power. So people don't like that because

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Speaker 1: the region has been so much familiar with those things.

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Speaker 1: When it takes countries like to Go, when it takes

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Speaker 1: countries and Guinea, the Gambia, when it takes countries like Clinger,

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Speaker 1: all these countries witness some leaders who stay too much

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Speaker 1: in power, so people do not want these things to

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Speaker 1: happen again. What is so far the elderly leader so

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Speaker 1: far in the region who has been in power for

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Speaker 1: more than fifteen years. Afridia themselves are so proud of

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Speaker 1: themselves and they also want to make sure they have

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Speaker 1: a leader who really he represents them, so they don't

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Speaker 1: want to see a leader who overstays too much in power.

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Speaker 1: But at the same time he has a very huge support.

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Speaker 1: I remember late June when the organize the last day

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Speaker 1: of the congress. It happened in the biggest stadium in

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Speaker 1: the state of the country where they play in the

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Speaker 1: final of African Cappopination twenty twenty three. But as of

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Speaker 1: course one, it's a big stadium that they were able

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Speaker 1: to bring together over one hundred thousand people comel.

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Speaker 2: Is it fair to say that it's less about the

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Speaker 2: policies that we've seen from the current president, because as

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Speaker 2: you were mentioning, Ivory Coast has been one of the

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Speaker 2: fastest growing economies on the continent in the world. There's

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Speaker 2: a lot of other economies on the continent trying to

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Speaker 2: replicate it. It's less about what we've seen him do,

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Speaker 2: and it's more so the frustration is more so about

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Speaker 2: people and the government blocking opposition candidates from running and

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Speaker 2: him extending his day. Is that a fair assessment, Yeah.

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Speaker 1: It's a fair assessment. Champ has some challenge within his

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Speaker 1: own party. The court said charm was elected was still

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Speaker 1: holding his friend citistenship, which is contrary to the whose

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Speaker 1: internal rules of the party. There is a law in

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Speaker 1: Agricles that which says that political party should be led

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Speaker 1: by avariance people solely Avarian, uniquely avarient. You shouldn't have

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Speaker 1: a Geo citizenship. He also in a role on the

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Speaker 1: votes is still holding when you were still holding that

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Speaker 1: geos citizenship. Then people challenged that. They went to call

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Speaker 1: to the challenge. They said, okay, the Electoral co said

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Speaker 1: you should only be a voiant when you're on the

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Speaker 1: votes list. So this guy a champ gave up his

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Speaker 1: friend chasttionship in February, in February this year, so people said,

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Speaker 1: so if he gave up his French claztionship in February

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Speaker 1: this year, it means that when he was enrolling on

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Speaker 1: the votest list it was still French. That was the

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Speaker 1: reason why the court decided to remove him from the

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Speaker 1: from the votest list.

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Speaker 2: And is that the same case for the other opposition candidates.

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Speaker 1: No, Babo was actually condemned or sentenced by a court

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Speaker 1: here in Africas over a case that is related to

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Speaker 1: the Central Bank of West Africa. In twenty nineteen, WARA

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Speaker 1: pandoned him, but he did not ar restore his civic rights.

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Speaker 1: So right now, the reason why Babo is none of

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Speaker 1: what is that he does not have his civic rights

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Speaker 1: that can allow to vote or to run as a candidate.

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Speaker 1: So that's the issue right now on the ground.

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Speaker 2: And so Camal, you were talking about some of the

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Speaker 2: other cases against the other opposition candidates. What's what's been

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Speaker 2: the response to those?

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Speaker 1: There hasn't been any responsible And there are two cases

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Speaker 1: here that can happen in case that should be in

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Speaker 1: a response. Either the President Tara issued a decree that

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Speaker 1: is restoring the civic rights of wrong Babo, but even

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Speaker 1: this has to go to the parliament or the two sides,

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Speaker 1: I mean the opposition the ruling Putty all sit down

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Speaker 1: together and then starting organizations on how to make sure

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Speaker 1: that the democratic elections this October, or to make sure

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Speaker 1: that all big names in the politics position also participates

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Speaker 1: in the elections.

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Speaker 2: Come on, stick with us when we come back from break.

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Speaker 2: We're going to talk a bit more about some of

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Speaker 2: the response that we've seen this week on the ground

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Speaker 2: and whether we're likely to see more protests as we

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Speaker 2: head closer to the election. We'll be right back, Welcome

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Speaker 2: back today on the podcast, we're digging into the Ivory

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Speaker 2: Coast and protests by opposition supporters over their candidates being

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Speaker 2: blocked from the presidential election, Kamaludini taked about our Loomberg

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Speaker 2: reporter in Aba Jana. Still with me, So, Kamal, how

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Speaker 2: big have the protests been this week? Talk to us

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Speaker 2: about what we've seen and maybe what we expect over

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Speaker 2: the next few weeks and months on the ground.

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Speaker 1: When it's come to the position, we have few coalitions,

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Speaker 1: one formed by Bago and Jamp. That coalition was formed

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Speaker 1: in June this year. Before that coalition that front, there

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Speaker 1: was another coalition that that pushed together several political parties

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Speaker 1: including the BBC of Gen Champ and the Party of

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Speaker 1: the of the ex wife of Babo Small Bible. But

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Speaker 1: Chams and Bubu's coalition is more powerful than theirs. So

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Speaker 1: we currently have two coalitions. We were supposed to have

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Speaker 1: the first protest organized by Babo and Cham second August

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Speaker 1: last week, but that protest has been canceled and postponed

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Speaker 1: to I guess nine, which is this coming Saturday, Saturday, right,

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Speaker 1: So this next actually will have a big protest coming

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Speaker 1: from these two political parties, which are the most powerful

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Speaker 1: position parties in Avicos. Meanwhile, on Friday, last Friday, they

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Speaker 1: happened an incident in one of the most populos districts

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Speaker 1: of Abi Down it used to be a songhull of

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Speaker 1: Lauren Babo. So there were a group of people armed

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Speaker 1: with catalysts and matches matches is that attacked police force

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Speaker 1: a police van and then they attacked the van and

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Speaker 1: they also put fire to a public bus. A couple

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Speaker 1: of people were arrested. Police investigations revealed that the people

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Speaker 1: who were behind the incident were linked to Babo's party.

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Speaker 1: So this has put more pressure on Bubble's party right

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Speaker 1: now and those who were organizing the leaders of the

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Speaker 1: coming such a protest where someone by police. They were

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Speaker 1: staying police Costudy for several hours for questioning. They were

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Speaker 1: investigated and they were later let go home the following

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Speaker 1: day in the morning, early in the morning. So there

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Speaker 1: is a bit of tension right now in the.

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Speaker 2: Country well, and it still does really seem like tensions

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Speaker 2: are quite high considering all of this. What is the

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Speaker 2: discussion around a free and fair election come the end

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Speaker 2: of the year. Are people hopeful that will see that

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Speaker 2: or is this going to be a bumpy ride through

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Speaker 2: and through.

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Speaker 1: Those supporters of what I believe that elections will be

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Speaker 1: free and fair. Bubble let's be from Babo has been

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Speaker 1: a very powerful guy in this country. It's all powerful

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Speaker 1: political figure. It's been the first and William to withstand

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Speaker 1: the funding father, so people have so much respect to him.

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Speaker 1: People believe that if they don't go Baboam and others

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Speaker 1: are not on the least, the elections will not be fair.

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Speaker 1: That's what oppositions believe. But at the same time, part

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Speaker 1: is close to what I believe that Okay, this happened

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Speaker 1: in the past. Babo went through once his second channel

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Speaker 1: in power without any opposition, so back then, it does

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Speaker 1: not criticize the turnout or the digitis as a result

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Speaker 1: of the book.

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Speaker 2: There's quite a lot to pay attention to, especially as

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Speaker 2: you point out, this is a very important economy for

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Speaker 2: the continent. Kamaludini, thank you so much for your reporting.

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Speaker 2: We know you'll be continuing to follow this, so we

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Speaker 2: appreciate you joining us on the podcast this week, and

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Speaker 2: you can read Kamaia Ludini's exclusive report across Bloomberg platforms.

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Speaker 2: Now here's a few other stories we're watching in the

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Speaker 2: region this week. At least three hundred and nineteen people,

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Speaker 2: including dozens of women and children, were killed by the

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Speaker 2: Rwanda backed M twenty three rebel group that's active in

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Speaker 2: Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the United Nations

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Speaker 2: Agency for Human Rights, the killings happen in the same

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Speaker 2: month that Congo and the M twenty three rebel group

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Speaker 2: signed a so called declaration of Principles to end fighting

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Speaker 2: after months of talks, and Elon Musk's Starlink service is

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Speaker 2: losing at shine with Kenyan consumers. Some Kenyans turned to

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Speaker 2: the satellite communications service after the government tried to restrict

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Speaker 2: access to the Internet during last year's protests that left

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Speaker 2: more than sixty people dead. Anti government demonstrations returned in June,

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Speaker 2: but this time Starlink's appeal has faded, with Starlink's high

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Speaker 2: costs and slow speeds deterring many users. And you can

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Speaker 2: follow these stories across Bloomberg, including the Next African Newsletter.

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Speaker 2: Will put a link to that in the show notes.

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Speaker 2: This program was produced by Adrian Bradley and tiwa Adebayo.

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Speaker 2: Don't forget to follow and review the show wherever you

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Speaker 2: usually get your podcasts. I'm Jennifer's Abasaja. Thanks as always

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Speaker 2: for listening.