Day 2 - Friday, Sept 20
8:00am - BBC reports some gunfire overnight in Abidjan. Gbagbo has cancelled his meeting with the Pope (what took him so long to do that??) and is returning to RCI immediately. People are being encouraged to return to work and business as usual in Abidjan.
The body of Guei was shown on state TV last night to prove he is dead.
9:05am - BBC reports that the rebels are ready to negotiate. The Minister of Sport made that announcement on behalf of the rebels. He is still being held captive.
11:05am - Most people in Abidjan are staying home today, although they were urged to return to work. The government is reporting that everything is well, except that "small pockets of resistance remain."
12:00pm - I talk to another volunteer in Yamoussoukro. He said he had military shooting outside his work yesterday. Peace Corps had not contacted him even though he is one of the few volunteers in a larger (at risk) city. James has a cell phone, so contacting him is not difficult. I wonder what Peace Corps was doing yesterday if they didn't even contact James. Not surprising, given that, that they didn't contact me either.
12:25pm - BBC says there was sporadic fighting overnight in Bouake and Abidjan. The government has said that if the rebels give up and lay down their arms, they will be lenient with them.
BBC reports that this definitely had all the marks of a coup attempt, and not simply a rebel uprising. It started before dawn, targeted radio and TV stations, and the president was out of town. They say it is probable that Guei was behind it, especially given that he pulled his UNDP party out of the reconciliation government last week, saying the government was corrupt. Probably the soldiers that staged the coup attempt were hired by Guei and remain loyal to him. But certainly, Guei was not working alone. The reporter wonders who will become the next opposition leader, and whether he will continue the violence.
3:05pm - BBC reports that the government is saying Bouake will be regained by nightfall. "Dozens" have already been killed. Abidjan is still tense, but that there have been a few busses and people on the streets. Many stores are closed.
The civilian casualties have not been counted - the numbers being reported are military deaths in Abidjan only. Alasane Ouattara, the popular opposition leader for the RDR party, was taking refuge first in the German embassy, but now in the French embassy. President Gbagbo is on his way home from Rome.
The reporter in Bouake says that city is still deserted. The rebel demands are unclear. The government says they will try negotiating, but if that doesn't work, they will take Bouake by force.
The people in Bouake are frustrated and running out of food. General Guei's people claim he was not involved in the coup attempt. Other opposition leaders say they are worried for their own safety. They also say that Gbagbo hasn't extended the reconciliation government to all parties, and that is what caused this uprising.
5:05pm - BBC reports there is an uneasy calm in Abidjan, that small markets are open, and that people are traveling on foot. The reporter can see smoke in the Deux Plateux neighborhood (where the Peace Corps hostel is) as the gendarmes continue to set fire to shanty town houses. They claim rebels are hiding out in the shanty towns.
Government officials are reporting that General Guei was killed during an attack on the Interior Minister, but he was found with only one bullet in the head. Also, his wife and all members of his family were found dead in their home. To me, it seems unlikely that all that happened during an attack on the Interior Minister. My guess is the gendarmes took this opportunity to get rid of the man who started the last coup.
There is an unconfirmed rumor that the rebels had help from the Angolan army.
BBC is starting to use phrases like "very unstable country." The rebels claim they are in charge of Korhogo, and that they rebuffed a government attack to take Bouake back.
Gbagbo is expected back shortly, but they have to secure the airport first, before he can land.
6:00pm - During my daily jog, I notice that the gates of my gendarmerie are closed. I have never seen them closed. Other than that, it is business as usual in Taabo.
7:05pm - BBC reports that Gbagbo is back. The government has given an ultimatum to the rebels to lay down their weapons or face the consequences.
There is no sign of allied troops arriving to help. The French maintain about 600 army personnel here and have said they will not send others to assist.
The curfew is still in effect. Bouake is still in rebel control. The Abidjan reporter says the soldiers seem trigger happy, that she has been hearing a few sporadic shots.