Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara has named former rebel military commander General Soumaila Bakayoko as the head of the country's newly integrated armed forces, the defence ministry said on Thursday, according to Reuters. His deputy will be General Deto Leto, who was head of the land forces under former president Laurent Gbagbo, a statement said. The nominations are a significant step in Ouattara's efforts to restore stability and promote reconciliation in the top cocoa grower, which was torn apart by months of conflict after Gbagbo refused to concede to Ouattara following a November election. In the reshuffle, General Michel Gueu, a former rebel, becomes Ouattara's military adviser. But the heads of the land forces, gendarmerie and the police force go to men who served under Gbagbo. Healing wounds between the two sides in the power struggle, as well as factions within the former rebel camp, will be one of Ouattara's biggest challenges as he seeks to stabilise one of West Africa's biggest economies. -- SPA
