Protest Routed by Ivory Coast Police

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Police used tear gas and truncheons Thursday to disperse government opponents who tried to hold a protest march in the city center.

It was the second time in a week that opposition parties have been prevented from marching. President Felix Houphouet-Boigny legalized opposition parties in May after unprecedented unrest in this West African nation, but authorities have often refused the parties permission to hold rallies.

Authorities alleged that the government opponents hope to disrupt the visit of Pope John Paul II, who arrives Sunday to consecrate the huge basilica that Houphouet-Boigny has built in his hometown of Yamoussoukro.