Ministers replaced in Ivory Coast

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Ivory Coast's prime minister has named a new unity government 10 days after the previous cabinet resigned following a scandal over dangerous toxic waste.

PM Charles Konan Banny has replaced the environment and transport ministers.

They had faced strong criticism over the illegal dumping of toxic sludge on at least 11 sites in the main city Abidjan last month.

Seven people have died from the effects of the waste, and more than 30,000 have sought hospital treatment.

Four new ministerial posts have been created, raising the total to 36.

But the rest of the cabinet remains largely unchanged, and includes members of the political party supporting President Laurent Gbagbo, the main opposition parties and former rebel groups.

Home torched

On Friday, protestors dragged former transport minister Innocent Anaky Kobenan from his car and beat him up.

They also blocked roads with burning barricades and torched the home of the port director Marcel Gossio.

<a href="/1/hi/in_pictures/5322760.stm" class="">In pictures: Toxic waste</a> <a href="/1/hi/sci/tech/5323258.stm" class="">Global path of pollution </a> <a href="/1/hi/world/africa/5323400.stm" class="">Eyewitness: Exposed </a> Operations are due to get underway on Sunday to remove the 400 metric tons of waste, which had been brought to Ivory Coast on board a Greek-owned ship.

Many thousands of people have sought treatment for vomiting, stomach pains, nausea, breathing difficulties, nosebleeds and migraines from the waste,.

An inquiry is underway and eight people have been arrested so far.

'Slops'

The opposition and rebels, who are in the national unity government as part of a peace deal, initially said they would not participate in the new cabinet - accusing the prime minister of using the toxic waste scandal to push through a reshuffle.

The naming of the new government comes just before a UN meeting in New York to examine progress in the Ivorian peace process.

The country has been split in two for four years, and the elections due in October have been postponed.

The company which owns the ship which transported the waste, Trafigura Beheer BV, says it is extremely concerned and has sent oil and mining experts to Abidjan to help the authorities.

It says it informed the authorities and handed over discharges from washing out its oil tanks with caustic soda - known as slops - to a certified local company, Compagnie Tommy.