Ivory Coast leader sacks TV boss after return not covered

ABIDJAN (AFP) - Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has fired the head of public television after no news team was sent to cover his return from a trip to the United States, a minister said Monday.

Ouattara sacked Pascal Brou Aka as director general of RTI (Radiodiffusion Television Ivorienne) on Saturday and replaced him with one of his deputies, Communication Minister Souleymane Diakite said in a statement.

"This decision is the result of serious dysfunction in the daily running of RTI," the statement said.

The problems peaked on Saturday when no reporters were sent to cover Ouattara's return from an official visit to the United States, it said.

"Measures have been taken to avoid such regrettable incidents from arising in the future," the statement added.

The new head of RTI was named as Lazare Saye Aka.

Ouattara won presidential elections in November but strongman Laurent Gbagbo, who had been in power for nearly 10 years, refused to accept the result -- resulting in a battle for the presidency.

Gbagbo's arrest on April 11 ended the conflict in which about 3,000 people died, according to authorities.

The North-Sud newspaper, which is close to the authorities, said Brou Aka "was the first direct victim of the rigour of Ouattara."

"Rigour is good. But around the president, many things are still not working as they should," added Le Nouveau Reveil, the paper of the party of former president Henri Konan Bedie, Ouattara's main ally.