Ivory Coast: death of Laurent Dona-Falogo, major political figure
Laurent Dona Fologo.
AFP / Pius Utomi Ekpei
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3 min
In Côte d'Ivoire, Laurent Dona-Fologo, former journalist and political figure of the PDCI, a former single party, passed away on February 5 at the age of 82.
He was minister under the presidency of Felix Houphouet Boigny then of Henri Konan Bédié.
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“He
was a great servant of the nation
”.
These are the words used by journalists on Ivorian national television when they mention the death of Laurent Dona-Fologo.
Long secretary general of the PDCI-RDA, he was minister for over fifteen years under the presidency of Houphouet Boigny, first of Information, then of Sports.
It was under his tutelage that the elephants won their first African Cup of Nations, in 1992.
But Laurent Dona-Fologo was first a journalist, as one of his relatives, Doctor Issa Malik Coulibaly remembers: “He
was a great journalist trained in Lille.
He created the newspaper Fraternité Matin, of which he was the first editor.
He trained many journalists like Ouattara Nzonzié, Ali Coulibaly and many others
”.
Upon the death of President Houphouet Boigny, Laurent Dona-Fologo continued to serve Côte d'Ivoire under the presidency of Henri Konan Bédié as Minister of State, until 1999. When the crisis erupted in 2002, “
LDF
”, as he was known, took on the role of negotiator between the rebels and the government.
These negotiations, which take place in Lomé in Togo, lead a little later to a ceasefire with the rebellion.
Described by those who knew him as a man of integrity and honesty, it was crowned by his role as mediator that he ended his political career, at the head of the Economic and Social Council.
Appointed in 2001 by Laurent Gbagbo, he remained the third figure in the state, until 2011. He had since withdrawn from political life.
To read and listen also: L. Dona Fologo: "I support the idea of the RDR-PDCI merger"
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Ivory Coast
Henri Konan Bédié