The French were discovering a lot of things as they extended their patrols in the North and warned of continuing tension. In rebel-held Korhogo, four people were killed as two rival rebel groups fought a gun battle for the control of a disputed petrol tanker.

There have recently been a series of clashes between rival factions of the rebel movement near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali. About 300 French peacekeepers were deployed to the northern towns of Korhogo and Ferkessedegou in early January to help stabilize the situation. These troops discovered that the rebels were holding an unspecified number of prisoners (including Liberians and suspected government infiltrators) in several containers in Korhogo. - Adam Geibel