An appeal for investment in Ivory Coast’s rebel-controlled north is prompting fears of a secession. At the end of a conference, the rebel New Forces called on financial bodies and non-governmental agencies to help fund health and development programmes. But newspapers in Abidjan says this is a sign the rebels are advancing plans to split completely from the south. President Laurent Gbagbo has warned that any secession moves could trigger a return to civil war. The four-day forum, held in the rebel-stronghold of Bouake to tackle growing poverty in the north, ended with a request for donors to come back to the north and help them. Full Story