Guillaume Soro - Assassination Attempt

Assassination Attempt

On 29 June 2007 rockets were fired at Soro's plane at the airport in Bouaké. The Fokker 100 carrying Prime Minister Soro, members of his delegation, and 20 journalists was taxiing on the runway after landing when it was targeted by rocket and Kalashnikov fire. One rocket struck and exploded in the cabin, one missed, and a third bounced off the fuselage and did not detonate. Four people were killed and ten others wounded; Soro was not injured. Those who died were:

• Sékou Doumbia, member of the Protocole d’Etat serving the premiership
• Souleymane Sérifou, member of the Protocole d’Etat serving the premiership
• Ex-Lieutenant Drissa Ouattara, Prime Minister's security chief
• Ex-Corporal Siaka Diomandé, Prime Minister's bodyguard Arrests were subsequently reported.

Since Côte d'Ivoire is the most important cocoa producer in the world, the price of this raw material reached its highest level in four years on the London Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. Underlying concern, according to a stock market analyst, was "the possible worsening of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire".

Soro and Gbagbo participated in disarmament ceremony, the "peace flame", on 30 July. This ceremony involved burning weapons to symbolize the end of the conflict.