An international media watchdog group is urging Ivory Coast news organizations to refrain from bias and inflammatory language leading up to the November 28 presidential runoff.
In a Friday statement, Reporters Without Borders says several newspapers have been devoting more space to articles alleging that one of the two candidates wants to “destabilize” the country.
The Paris-based group also says two state-owned broadcast stations have been displaying what it calls a “strong bias” towards the incumbent candidate, President Laurent Gbagbo.
Mr. Gbagbo is being challenged by former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara in the country’s first presidential election since a 2002 civil war.
President Gbagbo’s term officially ended in 2005. However, new elections were repeatedly postponed because of a failure to disarm rebels and disputes over voter registrations.
The French News Agency says at least five people were injured Friday when fighting broke out between the candidates’ supporters.
The news agency says the supporters began throwing objects at each other after several hundred supporters of President Gbagbo gathered outside of Mr. Outtara’s coalition headquarters.
The first round of balloting in late October was peaceful.
Some information in this story was provided by AFP
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