Thousands gather for Ivory Coast rally

[dArKeR]

Abidjan - Thousands of people gathered on Saturday in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan for a rally and prayer service called by the opposition in memory of up to 500 people they and rights groups say were killed in a crackdown on a demonstration last month.

Several thousand people had by mid-morning taken their places inside the Parc des Sports stadium in the Treichville neighbourhood, where the memorial rally was due to be held.

Outside, hundreds more, including a growing number of women and children, waited patiently in line to be searched before entering the stadium by Ivorian police and UN peacekeepers, requisitioned to ensure that the rally and multi-denominational prayer service take place peacefully.

http://iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=qw1082805661976B222&set_id=1