In the middle of the street, a few flaming pallets block the way.
Police officers extinguish the small blaze and launch a burst of tear gas canisters at a handful of protesters who run away.
The scene is repeated, almost identical, a few minutes and a few hundred meters further on.
On Tuesday, the center of Cocody, a very chic district of Abidjan, experienced intense agitation under the astonished eyes of elegant ladies in large cars.
“
We defend our president.
No to dictatorship,
”yells a protester.
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The real stake is there, and is held, three neat avenues below, in a villa of the former president Henri Konan Bédié, become HQ of the opposition.
An imposing police device was deployed around the house in the early afternoon, blocking access.
The former head of state, 86, is there with his close guard.
With Pascale Affi N'Guessan, allies for the occasion, they tried to challenge the presidential election of October 31st Alassane Ouattara before deciding on a boycott in the face of a process they considered "
biased
".
The slogan was followed.
The results of the ballot, unveiled on Tuesday night, therefore consecrated the outgoing president with a triumphant score of 94.27%.
But this is due more to the lack of suitors than to a plebiscite.
The security forces deployed in front of the house of Henri Konan Bédié.
ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP
The opposition knows it, Alassane Ouattara too.
So without even waiting for the announcement of victory, Pascal Affi N'Guessan took the lead ensuring that he considers the power "
vacant
".
The following day, the opponents went further, and announced the establishment of a National Transitional Council, chaired by Henri Konan Bédié and, subsequently, a government.
Above all, they call on their supporters "
to stay mobilized
".
The answer was not long in coming.
The Minister of Justice, Sansan Kambile, has made himself threatening in the face of what he considers as "
a plot against the authority of the State
", a "
sedition
".
About thirty arrests
The encirclement of the house of Henri Konan Bédié sounds like the dreaded continuation of this war of press releases.
In the somewhat decrepit building, the old guard of PDCI cut a good figure, ensuring they “
fight for the right
”.
We get agitated, fearing however "
the worst
", we call for help and in vain.
At the gate, a handful of gendarmes assigned to the protection of "
President Bébié
" wonder.
What should be done if fellow police officers try to break in?
"
We're waiting for orders,
" said a warrant officer lacically.
They will come.
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At the end of the afternoon, the police finally enter without too much trouble.
No one touches Henri Konan Bédié, his stature as head of state protects him.
But around thirty relatives, including Maurice Kakou Guikahué, executive secretary of the PDCI, were arrested.
They will eventually be escorted home and kept at home.
The other opponents, like Pascal Affi N'Guessan, hide.
“
Ouattara chose strong material.
He does not intend to compromise on anything.
He is sure of himself and it's a little dangerous,
”regrets a good connoisseur of the country.
The consequences of this raid could be lasting.
“
The country is heading towards an impasse.
Power does not want to negotiate and the opposition is playing the worst card.
The outcome is narrow
”, worries a diplomat.