Poisonous days

摘要

It is not normal for an environmental scandal to bring down a government, but then Cote d'lvoire is anything but normal. The country, once West Africa's most stable, has been split in two by a four-year civil war. A succession of peace deals imposed an unwieldy national-unity government composed of members of the ruling party, the opposition, some former rebels and others. On September 6th, as the growing scale of a toxic-waste dumping scandal became clear, the prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, offered the resignation of this government. But at this the cabinet expressed bewilderment, and some ministers are refusing to take part in the new government that Mr Banny, who was asked to stay on by President Laurent Gbagbo.hopes to name soon.