Reggae star Fakoly returns to Ivory Coast after war

By Ange Aboa

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - African reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly on Saturday played his first concert in his native Ivory Coast since the start of a civil war five years ago, when his biting political lyrics drove him into exile.

Fakoly, one of Africa's best-loved reggae voices, went into self-imposed exile in Mali in September 2002 when dissident soldiers in Ivory Coast tried to overthrow President Laurent Gbagbo before seizing the country's northern half.

The former French colony is still split in two but after a string of failed deals, Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro -- now the country's prime minister -- signed a peace agreement in March and both sides are due to start disarming this month.

"I'm very happy to be back in my country at a time when it's engaged in the search for peace," the dreadlocked star, famed for songs denouncing corrupt politicians and abusive regimes, told Reuters.

Fakoly played to thousands of fans in a sports stadium in Abidjan, the main city in the government-run south where his anti-authoritarian lyrics made him an enemy of pro-Gbagbo militants who regularly staged violent rallies during the war.

He is due to play a second gig in the northern town of Bouake, the rebel stronghold, in a week's time.

"I like Tiken and I've come to see him above all because I like what he says in his songs. It's the truth and it concerns us all," said Franck Sigui, 21, as he queued up to enter the packed stadium.

SAFETY GUARANTEED