A former president’s crocodiles are terrorising Ivory Coast’s capital
Nov 21st 2019YAMOUSSOUKROTHE FIRST president of Ivory Coast, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, liked to build monuments to himself. After independence he erected a new political capital on top of his remote home village, Yamoussoukro. No expense was spared. He equipped the city with a Concorde runway, West Africa’s first ice-skating rink, the largest basilica in the world and a grand palace, surrounded by an artificial lake filled with crocodiles.Since the president’s death in 1993 officials have preferred to work in the commercial capital, Abidjan, leaving the political capital to fall into disrepair. But potholed roads and broken streetlights are not the only problems locals face. The president’s pets have escaped into the city’s waterways, and reproduced. “There has been no policy for the crocodiles. If you go near the water, they will eat you,” frets Souaga Gérard, a teacher.Choose us for news analysis that respects your time and intelligenceSubscribe to The EconomistWe filter out the noise of the daily news cycle and analyse the trends that matterWe give you rigorous, deeply researched and fact-checked journalism. That’s why Americans named us their most trusted news source in 2017Available wherever you are—in print, digital and, uniquely, in audio, fully narrated by professional broadcastersThis website adheres to all nine of NewsGuard‘s standards of credibility and transparency.ORContinue reading this articleRegister with an email address