The mayor of Ivory Coast's capital Abidjan has launched an operation to regenerate one of the city's neglected suburbs ahead of presidential elections in October. Some residents are pleased, but there are also fears that the makeover is just an electoral ploy. FRANCE 24 reports.
One by one, the buildings in the suburb of Abobo are being stripped down, scrubbed and then repainted.
Some residents seem impressed. "Abobo is always left behind," said Omar Ouattara, a local shopkeeper. They say 'Abobo is war', but we prefer it to be changing like this! We need to change the image of Abobo."
Others are less keen on the changes. Another resident said: "It's not like we can eat the paint! Things need to change faster if we are to live comfortably."
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