Côte d'Ivoire's army chief of staff, General Philippe Mangou, is still holed up at the residence of the South African ambassador in Abidjan, a foreign affairs spokesperson said on Friday.
"General Mangou is still at the ambassador's residence. There is very little I can tell now, there is nothing new," said Clayson Monyela.
Mangou, a key ally of strongman president Laurent Gbagbo, on Wednesday fled with his wife and five children to the home of Pretoria's envoy, Zodwa Lallie, as forces aligned with the UN-recognised leader, Alassane Ouattara, moved into the main city of Abidjan. "I can't say how long he will remain there," said Monyela.
Early on Friday, gunfire erupted around the home of under-siege Gbagbo and the presidential palace, while forces loyal to Ouattara seized control of the country's RTI state television. Mangou is seen as a moderate in Côte d'Ivoire's current crisis, which erupted when Gbagbo refused to cede defeat to Ouattara following November elections.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Showing posts with label Côte d’Ivoire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Côte d’Ivoire. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Police Kill Protesters in Major Ivory Coast City
At least four demonstrators, including a 19-year-old woman, were shot dead by riot police officers on Tuesday as they protested the shooting deaths of women who marched last week, witnesses said.
Volleys of bullets fired by the security forces of the nation’s strongman, Laurent Gbagbo, continued to sound around the clinic where the dead were taken Tuesday afternoon, as relatives and others pressed for cover inside the tiny building in the Treichville district. Three of the bodies lay on the floor under bloodied sheets, while a wounded man gasped in pain in the hall.
Mr. Gbagbo’s refusal to give up power after losing a presidential election last November is yielding a mounting toll of death, lawlessness and economic collapse here in this sprawling commercial capital of nearly four million people.
Gunfire sounds across the city every day, and youths with machetes and pistols staff impromptu checkpoints. Nearly 400 have died in all, according to the United Nations, including at least seven women last week who were cut down while protesting in the rebellious Abobo neighborhood by large-caliber machine-gun fire from Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces.
It was to protest those earlier deaths that the women in Treichville, a bustling neighborhood just across a lagoon from downtown Abidjan’s tattered high-rises, came out to march Tuesday, several people at the clinic said. “We came to cry for our dead,” said Marie-Louise Diby, a teacher.
The march was just ending, and neighborhood youths had formed a security cordon around the women, Ms. Diby said. The women tried to walk a final stretch to the headquarters of the political party whose standard-bearer, Alassane Ouattara, won last November’s election. The riot police then launched tear-gas canisters and fired into the crowd, Ms. Diby said. “They didn’t want to let us finish,” Ms. Diby said. “It’s then they started firing.” Three of the dead were men from the neighborhood. “It was the C.R.S. that started firing,” said Saly Cissé, an official of Mr. Ouattara’s party who was at the march on Tuesday, referring to Mr. Gbagbo’s Republican Security Units. “We had finished the march.”
Protests against Mr. Gbagbo’s rule, often ending in bloodshed, have been multiplying here. An assortment of abandoned flip-flops jettisoned by panicked women still marked the spot where the seven women were killed in the Abobo district last week.
While Mr. Gbagbo maintains an iron grip on much of this once prosperous port city, the Abobo neighborhood, home to over a million people, appears to be slipping from his grasp. Entering it on Tuesday required passing through heavy checkpoints of burnt-out vehicles staffed by young men bearing pistols and grenades.
When Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces penetrate here, they do so only in armored vehicles, often spraying bullets on either side as they go through, residents said. Many civilians have been killed in this rough Ouattara-supporting neighborhood of Muslim immigrants from northern Ivory Coast, but so have some of Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces. It is the one neighborhood that has taken up arms against him.
On Tuesday, the shabby main road through Abobo was taken over by hundreds of angry marchers, mostly women. Chanting in Dioula, a local language, they said “Gbagbo needs to leave,” alternating between mocking laughter and cries against the strongman who refuses to step down. Residents here insisted that Abobo is now autonomous, thanks to the shadowy young men with stolen Kalashnikov rifles who have waged an armed campaign against Mr. Gbagbo — the Invisible Commando, as the group is known in the neighborhood. “It’s not under the authority of Gbagbo now, not at all,” said Idrissa Tolo, a chauffeur, who was watching the women march. “Have you seen Gbagbo’s army here?” asked Fousseny Doumia, a truck driver. “We are the ones who provide security around here.”
Several members of the Invisible Commando — brusque, stocky young men carrying weapons and giving orders — were in evidence at the checkpoints Tuesday. They wore amulets, bracelets or trinkets that residents here said carried magic powers to protect them from Mr. Gbagbo’s bullets. One such young man appeared behind a group of shacks off a main road peppered with bullet holes to calmly explain the group’s position. He refused to give his name or age, or acknowledge his membership, but the telltale bulge under his shirt indicated the presence of a protective amulet, and residents said he was a ranking member of the Invisible Commando. They called him “Captain Fongnon,” which means “wind” in Dioula. “The ex-president,” he said, referring to Mr. Gbagbo, “is not capable of managing the situation. He’s killing us, and he’s killing our women. We, the young Ivorians, have banded together to protect our families and our possessions.”
Mr. Gbagbo’s men, he said, do not dare walk the streets of Abobo anymore, “because they are scared. But they shoot when they come through. And we’re sick of it. So we’re defending ourselves.”
“We are proud,” he added. “And we know this can’t last. This man has got to go.”
Source: New York Times
Volleys of bullets fired by the security forces of the nation’s strongman, Laurent Gbagbo, continued to sound around the clinic where the dead were taken Tuesday afternoon, as relatives and others pressed for cover inside the tiny building in the Treichville district. Three of the bodies lay on the floor under bloodied sheets, while a wounded man gasped in pain in the hall.
Mr. Gbagbo’s refusal to give up power after losing a presidential election last November is yielding a mounting toll of death, lawlessness and economic collapse here in this sprawling commercial capital of nearly four million people.
Gunfire sounds across the city every day, and youths with machetes and pistols staff impromptu checkpoints. Nearly 400 have died in all, according to the United Nations, including at least seven women last week who were cut down while protesting in the rebellious Abobo neighborhood by large-caliber machine-gun fire from Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces.
It was to protest those earlier deaths that the women in Treichville, a bustling neighborhood just across a lagoon from downtown Abidjan’s tattered high-rises, came out to march Tuesday, several people at the clinic said. “We came to cry for our dead,” said Marie-Louise Diby, a teacher.
The march was just ending, and neighborhood youths had formed a security cordon around the women, Ms. Diby said. The women tried to walk a final stretch to the headquarters of the political party whose standard-bearer, Alassane Ouattara, won last November’s election. The riot police then launched tear-gas canisters and fired into the crowd, Ms. Diby said. “They didn’t want to let us finish,” Ms. Diby said. “It’s then they started firing.” Three of the dead were men from the neighborhood. “It was the C.R.S. that started firing,” said Saly Cissé, an official of Mr. Ouattara’s party who was at the march on Tuesday, referring to Mr. Gbagbo’s Republican Security Units. “We had finished the march.”
Protests against Mr. Gbagbo’s rule, often ending in bloodshed, have been multiplying here. An assortment of abandoned flip-flops jettisoned by panicked women still marked the spot where the seven women were killed in the Abobo district last week.
While Mr. Gbagbo maintains an iron grip on much of this once prosperous port city, the Abobo neighborhood, home to over a million people, appears to be slipping from his grasp. Entering it on Tuesday required passing through heavy checkpoints of burnt-out vehicles staffed by young men bearing pistols and grenades.
When Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces penetrate here, they do so only in armored vehicles, often spraying bullets on either side as they go through, residents said. Many civilians have been killed in this rough Ouattara-supporting neighborhood of Muslim immigrants from northern Ivory Coast, but so have some of Mr. Gbagbo’s security forces. It is the one neighborhood that has taken up arms against him.
On Tuesday, the shabby main road through Abobo was taken over by hundreds of angry marchers, mostly women. Chanting in Dioula, a local language, they said “Gbagbo needs to leave,” alternating between mocking laughter and cries against the strongman who refuses to step down. Residents here insisted that Abobo is now autonomous, thanks to the shadowy young men with stolen Kalashnikov rifles who have waged an armed campaign against Mr. Gbagbo — the Invisible Commando, as the group is known in the neighborhood. “It’s not under the authority of Gbagbo now, not at all,” said Idrissa Tolo, a chauffeur, who was watching the women march. “Have you seen Gbagbo’s army here?” asked Fousseny Doumia, a truck driver. “We are the ones who provide security around here.”
Several members of the Invisible Commando — brusque, stocky young men carrying weapons and giving orders — were in evidence at the checkpoints Tuesday. They wore amulets, bracelets or trinkets that residents here said carried magic powers to protect them from Mr. Gbagbo’s bullets. One such young man appeared behind a group of shacks off a main road peppered with bullet holes to calmly explain the group’s position. He refused to give his name or age, or acknowledge his membership, but the telltale bulge under his shirt indicated the presence of a protective amulet, and residents said he was a ranking member of the Invisible Commando. They called him “Captain Fongnon,” which means “wind” in Dioula. “The ex-president,” he said, referring to Mr. Gbagbo, “is not capable of managing the situation. He’s killing us, and he’s killing our women. We, the young Ivorians, have banded together to protect our families and our possessions.”
Mr. Gbagbo’s men, he said, do not dare walk the streets of Abobo anymore, “because they are scared. But they shoot when they come through. And we’re sick of it. So we’re defending ourselves.”
“We are proud,” he added. “And we know this can’t last. This man has got to go.”
Source: New York Times
Friday, March 4, 2011
UN probes Zimbabwe arms sent to Côte d'Ivoire
The United Nations is investigating suspected arms transfers from Zimbabwe to Côte d'Ivoire's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo in violation of UN sanctions, according to a report obtained by Reuters.
The report emerged after a week of gun battles between forces loyal to Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara, almost universally recognised as winner of a November 28 poll, that risk pushing the top cocoa grower back to full-blown civil war.
Diplomats on the UN Security Council said the possible transfer of weapons to Gbagbo was a serious matter. They said his forces could use them against UN peacekeepers -- UNOCI, who recognise Ouattara as Côte d'Ivoire's president -- or Ivorian civilians who support Ouattara.
UNOCI's confidential Embargo monitoring report January 2011, obtained by Reuters on Thursday, said the mission was gathering more information on "the arrival of light weapons cargoes from Zimbabwe". UN officials told Reuters arms from Zimbabwe would have been intended for Gbagbo and not Ouattara.
In January, Gbagbo sent a special envoy to Harare to meet with and enlist the support of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who like Gbagbo has been accused by his opponents of election fraud and is under US and European Union sanctions.
Côte d'Ivoire has been under an arms embargo since the last bout of serious violence in 2004, when pro-Gbagbo forces bombed French peacekeepers in the rebel-held north. Analysts say both sides have repeatedly violated the embargo.
The report also said UNOCI was monitoring a shipment of 10 large wooden boxes that "may contain trucks or tanks".
"This cargo has been at Abidjan airport for six months," the UNOCI report said. "Aerial pictures confirmed the presence of these boxes, which are under 24/7 hours military surveillance."
Aircraft
Philippe Bolopion of Human Rights Watch said countries aiding Gbagbo should be careful: "Given the documented pattern of unlawful attacks on civilians by pro-Gbagbo forces, countries violating the arms embargo to provide weapons to his forces might be complicit in grave human rights abuses."
The report spoke of a "suspected cargo delivery from Angola", involving two Soviet-manufactured Sukhoi-27 fighter jets and a Soviet-made MIG-25 interceptor and reconnaissance bomber, spotted at San Pedro airport in Cape Verde, and a Russian cargo plane seen at Abidjan in January.
The Russian aircraft "has a considerable cargo capacity to carry heavy military equipment or a company of soldiers", the report said.
The report did not explicitly say whether the fighter jets were linked to Gbagbo's government. But it said UNOCI had received information that the "same [Russian cargo] aircraft had supplied equipment to the Ivorian government in 2005".
An official at Zimbabwe's mission expressed surprise about the allegation and declined to comment. Diplomats at Angola's UN mission were not immediately available for a reaction.
Gbagbo has ordered UNOCI out of the country, a demand the mission has ignored. UN troops have been protecting Ouattara, who is holed up in an Abidjan hotel along with his advisers.
The UNOCI report is not the first of a possible transfer of military aircraft to Gbagbo. UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy apologised to Belarus for a UN statement on Monday alleging that an initial shipment of attack helicopters had arrived in Côte d'Ivoire from Belarus.
Diplomats said the statement on the helicopter sale issued by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's press office was based on credible US intelligence. Ouattara's UN envoy Youssoufou Bamba told reporters that the only incorrect part of the statement was that a first shipment had arrived.
"It's true that he [Gbagbo] wanted these three helicopters to be smuggled into Cote d'Ivoire and be assembled," he said. "This is something we have from credible sources of intelligence." - Reuters
Source: Mail & Guardian Online
The report emerged after a week of gun battles between forces loyal to Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara, almost universally recognised as winner of a November 28 poll, that risk pushing the top cocoa grower back to full-blown civil war.
Diplomats on the UN Security Council said the possible transfer of weapons to Gbagbo was a serious matter. They said his forces could use them against UN peacekeepers -- UNOCI, who recognise Ouattara as Côte d'Ivoire's president -- or Ivorian civilians who support Ouattara.
UNOCI's confidential Embargo monitoring report January 2011, obtained by Reuters on Thursday, said the mission was gathering more information on "the arrival of light weapons cargoes from Zimbabwe". UN officials told Reuters arms from Zimbabwe would have been intended for Gbagbo and not Ouattara.
In January, Gbagbo sent a special envoy to Harare to meet with and enlist the support of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who like Gbagbo has been accused by his opponents of election fraud and is under US and European Union sanctions.
Côte d'Ivoire has been under an arms embargo since the last bout of serious violence in 2004, when pro-Gbagbo forces bombed French peacekeepers in the rebel-held north. Analysts say both sides have repeatedly violated the embargo.
The report also said UNOCI was monitoring a shipment of 10 large wooden boxes that "may contain trucks or tanks".
"This cargo has been at Abidjan airport for six months," the UNOCI report said. "Aerial pictures confirmed the presence of these boxes, which are under 24/7 hours military surveillance."
Aircraft
Philippe Bolopion of Human Rights Watch said countries aiding Gbagbo should be careful: "Given the documented pattern of unlawful attacks on civilians by pro-Gbagbo forces, countries violating the arms embargo to provide weapons to his forces might be complicit in grave human rights abuses."
The report spoke of a "suspected cargo delivery from Angola", involving two Soviet-manufactured Sukhoi-27 fighter jets and a Soviet-made MIG-25 interceptor and reconnaissance bomber, spotted at San Pedro airport in Cape Verde, and a Russian cargo plane seen at Abidjan in January.
The Russian aircraft "has a considerable cargo capacity to carry heavy military equipment or a company of soldiers", the report said.
The report did not explicitly say whether the fighter jets were linked to Gbagbo's government. But it said UNOCI had received information that the "same [Russian cargo] aircraft had supplied equipment to the Ivorian government in 2005".
An official at Zimbabwe's mission expressed surprise about the allegation and declined to comment. Diplomats at Angola's UN mission were not immediately available for a reaction.
Gbagbo has ordered UNOCI out of the country, a demand the mission has ignored. UN troops have been protecting Ouattara, who is holed up in an Abidjan hotel along with his advisers.
The UNOCI report is not the first of a possible transfer of military aircraft to Gbagbo. UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy apologised to Belarus for a UN statement on Monday alleging that an initial shipment of attack helicopters had arrived in Côte d'Ivoire from Belarus.
Diplomats said the statement on the helicopter sale issued by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's press office was based on credible US intelligence. Ouattara's UN envoy Youssoufou Bamba told reporters that the only incorrect part of the statement was that a first shipment had arrived.
"It's true that he [Gbagbo] wanted these three helicopters to be smuggled into Cote d'Ivoire and be assembled," he said. "This is something we have from credible sources of intelligence." - Reuters
Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Côte d'Ivoire envoy warns of 'genocide' threat
The first recognised ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire's internationally-backed president Alassane Ouattara said on Tuesday that the United Nations had to act to prevent "genocide" in his country. The envoy, Youssoufou Bamba, made the plea after handing over his credentials as envoy to the United Nations to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Ban promised the "full cooperation" of the UN leadership for the government of Ouattara who is in a tense stand-off with Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to recognise the victory of his rival in Côte d'Ivoire's November 28 presidential election. The ambassador said Ouattara had "real concern" about attacks on his supporters. According to UN rights officials at least 173 people were killed in attacks between December 16 and 21.
The victims were only killed "because they wanted to demonstrate, they want to speak out, they want to defend the will of the people", Bamba told reporters. "We are on the brink of genocide, something should be done." Bamba said people's homes in some areas had been marked according to their tribe. "What will be next? So the situation is very serious and I have put that message across in all the meetings I have had, including with the secretary general. The protection of civilians is at the heart of peacekeeping and we expect the United Nations to fulfill its duties," he said.
There is a UN force of more than 9 500 troops in Côte d'Ivoire and 800 are deployed around the Abidjan hotel where Ouattara has his base. Ban made no comment on the Côte d'Ivoire crisis when he formally accepted Bamba's credentials in front of photographers at the UN headquarters. But he assured the envoy "of the full cooperation of the secretariat in meeting the challenges ahead". Ban was briefed again on Tuesday by the UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire on efforts to persuade Gbagbo to peacefully stand down, his spokesperson Martin Nesirky said.
The UN chief also held telephone talks with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, current chairperson of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, which has threatened to intervene militarily if Gbagbo does not quit. Bamba, who was previously ambassador for the Gbagbo government at the UN in Vienna, is the first ambassador named by the Ouattara administration to have started work. He hinted that he was not yet being paid, saying that as a career diplomat "I have savings."
Meanwhile, Gbagbo's most notorious street lieutenant has vowed that the country's youth will rise up from Saturday and seize Ouattara's headquarters. "From January 1, I, Charles Ble Goude and the youth of Ivory Coast are going to liberate the Golf Hotel with our bare hands," the leader of Gbagbo's radical Young Patriots told a cheering crowd in Abidjan on Wednesday. "It's the moment to liberate Ivory Coast," he declared.
Political showman and faction leader Ble Goude is now Gbagbo's minister for youth and employment, but he is best known for stoking bloody anti-French riots in 2004, a role which saw him placed under United Nations sanctions. "We are ready to die for this Ivory Coast," he declared, while insisting that his supporters were unarmed and hoped to triumph through strength of numbers and will against Ouattara's men. "We are mocked by rebels," he complained.
Tension is mounting in and around the Golf Hotel -- a waterfront resort on the outskirts of the port city which Ouattara and his supporters had turned into an election headquarters. The shadow government in the hotel is guarded by a small contingent of former northern rebel fighters dubbed the New Forces, and the grounds are shielded by armed UN peacekeepers backed by armoured cars.
Access to the area is blocked by Gbagbo's regulars, the Security and Defence Forces (FDS), working alongside what UN observers say are mysterious masked militia fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenades. UN supply convoys are regularly blocked as they try to cross Abidjan -- one patrol was attacked on Tuesday a mob of pro-Gbagbo youths and a Bangladeshi soldier was hurt -- and the hotel is supplied by UN helicopter.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Ban promised the "full cooperation" of the UN leadership for the government of Ouattara who is in a tense stand-off with Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to recognise the victory of his rival in Côte d'Ivoire's November 28 presidential election. The ambassador said Ouattara had "real concern" about attacks on his supporters. According to UN rights officials at least 173 people were killed in attacks between December 16 and 21.
The victims were only killed "because they wanted to demonstrate, they want to speak out, they want to defend the will of the people", Bamba told reporters. "We are on the brink of genocide, something should be done." Bamba said people's homes in some areas had been marked according to their tribe. "What will be next? So the situation is very serious and I have put that message across in all the meetings I have had, including with the secretary general. The protection of civilians is at the heart of peacekeeping and we expect the United Nations to fulfill its duties," he said.
There is a UN force of more than 9 500 troops in Côte d'Ivoire and 800 are deployed around the Abidjan hotel where Ouattara has his base. Ban made no comment on the Côte d'Ivoire crisis when he formally accepted Bamba's credentials in front of photographers at the UN headquarters. But he assured the envoy "of the full cooperation of the secretariat in meeting the challenges ahead". Ban was briefed again on Tuesday by the UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire on efforts to persuade Gbagbo to peacefully stand down, his spokesperson Martin Nesirky said.
The UN chief also held telephone talks with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, current chairperson of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, which has threatened to intervene militarily if Gbagbo does not quit. Bamba, who was previously ambassador for the Gbagbo government at the UN in Vienna, is the first ambassador named by the Ouattara administration to have started work. He hinted that he was not yet being paid, saying that as a career diplomat "I have savings."
Meanwhile, Gbagbo's most notorious street lieutenant has vowed that the country's youth will rise up from Saturday and seize Ouattara's headquarters. "From January 1, I, Charles Ble Goude and the youth of Ivory Coast are going to liberate the Golf Hotel with our bare hands," the leader of Gbagbo's radical Young Patriots told a cheering crowd in Abidjan on Wednesday. "It's the moment to liberate Ivory Coast," he declared.
Political showman and faction leader Ble Goude is now Gbagbo's minister for youth and employment, but he is best known for stoking bloody anti-French riots in 2004, a role which saw him placed under United Nations sanctions. "We are ready to die for this Ivory Coast," he declared, while insisting that his supporters were unarmed and hoped to triumph through strength of numbers and will against Ouattara's men. "We are mocked by rebels," he complained.
Tension is mounting in and around the Golf Hotel -- a waterfront resort on the outskirts of the port city which Ouattara and his supporters had turned into an election headquarters. The shadow government in the hotel is guarded by a small contingent of former northern rebel fighters dubbed the New Forces, and the grounds are shielded by armed UN peacekeepers backed by armoured cars.
Access to the area is blocked by Gbagbo's regulars, the Security and Defence Forces (FDS), working alongside what UN observers say are mysterious masked militia fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenades. UN supply convoys are regularly blocked as they try to cross Abidjan -- one patrol was attacked on Tuesday a mob of pro-Gbagbo youths and a Bangladeshi soldier was hurt -- and the hotel is supplied by UN helicopter.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ivory Coast: Summary
The strife-torn West African nation of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) was once a beacon of prosperity for the region. But since a 2002 civil war, the country has been divided between north and south and wracked by years of political confrontation, coups and countercoups, and street violence.
It was hoped that an oft-postponed presidential election in November 2010, the first in 10 years, would be a force for peace and unity. Instead, competing declarations of victory and clashes between supporters of rival presidential candidates have destabilized the country further.
Alassane Ouattara, a former prime minister, banker and leader of the opposition, has been recognized as the winner of November’s election by the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and the European Union. The incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, 65, a leftist university professor-turned-populist strongman whose term ended in 2005, has resisted repeated calls for him to cede the office, clinging to power amid rebellion in the north and disputes among the country’s top political leaders
The country’s top elections officer proclaimed Mr. Ouattara the winner on Dec. 2, by a nearly nine-point margin. Only a day later, the head of the Constitutional Council, who is a close ally of the president, threw out vote totals from parts of the north — the stronghold of Mr. Ouattara — because of what he called “flagrant irregularities,” leading both men to claim the presidency.
The deadly standoff between the rival presidents appears to be broadening. Armed forces associated with the Ouattara camp have clashed with Mr. Gbagbo’s forces on the streets of the nation’s economic capital, Abidjan, as well as in a town in the center of the country. Security forces loyal to President Gbagbo have opened fire on demonstrators. After men in military uniforms fired on a United Nations patrol on Dec. 18, President Gbagbo ordered United Nations and French peacekeepers to leave the country immediately. Analysts fear the departure of some 10,000 United Nations peacekeepers would increase the risk of a return of the civil war
Once-gleaming downtown Abidjan, a magnet for immigrants from all over West Africa in the days when people spoke of the Ivorian “miracle,” has become a forest of darkened high-rise windows. Investors have pulled out; jobs have vanished. More than four million young men are unemployed in a nation of some 21 million people, according to the World Bank.
Rebels continue to control the partly Muslim north, feeding off smuggling and illicit taxation, while the west remains a substantially lawless domain of robbery and rape, a recent Human Rights Watch report said.
Source: New York Times
It was hoped that an oft-postponed presidential election in November 2010, the first in 10 years, would be a force for peace and unity. Instead, competing declarations of victory and clashes between supporters of rival presidential candidates have destabilized the country further.
Alassane Ouattara, a former prime minister, banker and leader of the opposition, has been recognized as the winner of November’s election by the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and the European Union. The incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, 65, a leftist university professor-turned-populist strongman whose term ended in 2005, has resisted repeated calls for him to cede the office, clinging to power amid rebellion in the north and disputes among the country’s top political leaders
The country’s top elections officer proclaimed Mr. Ouattara the winner on Dec. 2, by a nearly nine-point margin. Only a day later, the head of the Constitutional Council, who is a close ally of the president, threw out vote totals from parts of the north — the stronghold of Mr. Ouattara — because of what he called “flagrant irregularities,” leading both men to claim the presidency.
The deadly standoff between the rival presidents appears to be broadening. Armed forces associated with the Ouattara camp have clashed with Mr. Gbagbo’s forces on the streets of the nation’s economic capital, Abidjan, as well as in a town in the center of the country. Security forces loyal to President Gbagbo have opened fire on demonstrators. After men in military uniforms fired on a United Nations patrol on Dec. 18, President Gbagbo ordered United Nations and French peacekeepers to leave the country immediately. Analysts fear the departure of some 10,000 United Nations peacekeepers would increase the risk of a return of the civil war
Once-gleaming downtown Abidjan, a magnet for immigrants from all over West Africa in the days when people spoke of the Ivorian “miracle,” has become a forest of darkened high-rise windows. Investors have pulled out; jobs have vanished. More than four million young men are unemployed in a nation of some 21 million people, according to the World Bank.
Rebels continue to control the partly Muslim north, feeding off smuggling and illicit taxation, while the west remains a substantially lawless domain of robbery and rape, a recent Human Rights Watch report said.
Source: New York Times
Ivory Coast: Embattled Leader’s Offer
The Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo said Tuesday night that he would accept a “commission of investigation” from overseas to examine the results of the presidential election last month, which the United Nations and foreign powers say he lost to Alassane Ouattara. Speaking on state television, Mr. Gbagbo said he did not “want any more bloodshed.” Meanwhile, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, expressed concern over the safety of the peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast; Nigeria evacuated its diplomats; the United States announced a travel ban on Mr. Gbagbo and his associates; and Mr. Ouattara’s government called for a campaign of “disobedience.”
Source: New York Times
Source: New York Times
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Côte d’Ivoire's Gbagbo tells UN to leave, Ban refuses
Côte d’Ivoire incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo on Saturday ordered United Nations and French troops to leave the country, but UN chief Ban Ki-moon rejected the demand, saying his blue helmets would not budge. Both the UN and the former colonial power, France, have urged Gbagbo to concede defeat in a November 28 poll, which was meant to heal the wounds of the West African state's 2002-03 civil war but has instead reopened them.
Spokesperson Jacqueline Oble read a statement on state television saying the government wanted the UNOCI and LICORNE missions forces to leave Côte d’Ivoire, "and is opposed to any renewal of their mandate." "UNOCI has interfered seriously in the internal affairs of Côte d’Ivoire," she said.
Ban responded with his own statement issued by UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, who made clear that the UNOCI peacekeeping force had no intention of pulling out of Côte d’Ivoire, the world's top cocoa producer. "The Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] is aware of statements by Mr. Gbagbo's spokesperson calling for the withdrawal of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI)," Haq said. "UNOCI will fulfil its mandate and will continue to monitor and document any human rights violations, incitement to hatred and violence, or attacks on UN peacekeepers," Haq said in a statement.
Ban has said that Gbagbo must step down and hand power to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who the UN says won the run-off election. The country has been in turmoil since Gbagbo claimed victory in the election with backing from the pro-Gbagbo Constitutional Council, the nation's highest legal body, rejecting as fraudulent results showing that he had lost by nearly 8% to Ouattara.
Almost all world leaders have also recognised Ouattara's victory and demanded that Gbagbo step down. The UN mission includes some 10 000 soldiers and police, and is supported by the French LICORNE force. Hundreds of peacekeepers have been deployed to defend Ouattara's makeshift headquarters in Abidjan's lagoon-side Golf Hotel. At least 20 people were killed on Thursday in clashes between pro-Ouattara marchers and security forces. Former rebels supporting Ouattara also briefly exchanged fire with government soldiers.
Several Western diplomats in New York told Reuters that Gbago had no legal authority to order UN and French peacekeepers out of the country since he lost the election. They said only Ouattara had that authority now. Ban has warned of the potential for a resumption of civil war and called on all sides to avoid triggering further violence. Haq said Ban was "deeply concerned" about attacks on UN troops by forces who appeared to be loyal to Gbagbo. The leader of Gbagbo's feared Young Patriots militia group, Ble Goude, told Reuters they may march on the hotel where Ouattara is staying to force him out. And at a rally of several thousand in the poor neighbourhood of Yopougon, he called on his militia to "liberate" Côte d’Ivoire. "We will defend the sovereignty of our country," Goude, also Gbagbo's youth minister, said. "We ask them [the UN] to leave our country. Get ready, because from next Friday I will need you for the total liberation of Côte d’Ivoire."
The United States, France and the European Union have heaped pressure on Gbagbo to step down, threatening sanctions if he does not do so within days. A top US State Department official told Reuters on Friday that Gbagbo had also been offered a "soft landing" in exile in an African country if he steps down. But a Gbagbo spokesperson said Gbagbo had no intention of leaving.
Gbagbo came to power in 2000 after a disputed election against coup leader Robert Guei, and two years later survived a rebellion that split the country into a rebel-held north and his government-controlled south. The turmoil in the world's top grower of cocoa raised cocoa futures to four-month highs in recent weeks, though futures prices have since eased, with second-month cocoa in New York settling down nearly 2% on Friday.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Spokesperson Jacqueline Oble read a statement on state television saying the government wanted the UNOCI and LICORNE missions forces to leave Côte d’Ivoire, "and is opposed to any renewal of their mandate." "UNOCI has interfered seriously in the internal affairs of Côte d’Ivoire," she said.
Ban responded with his own statement issued by UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, who made clear that the UNOCI peacekeeping force had no intention of pulling out of Côte d’Ivoire, the world's top cocoa producer. "The Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] is aware of statements by Mr. Gbagbo's spokesperson calling for the withdrawal of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI)," Haq said. "UNOCI will fulfil its mandate and will continue to monitor and document any human rights violations, incitement to hatred and violence, or attacks on UN peacekeepers," Haq said in a statement.
Ban has said that Gbagbo must step down and hand power to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who the UN says won the run-off election. The country has been in turmoil since Gbagbo claimed victory in the election with backing from the pro-Gbagbo Constitutional Council, the nation's highest legal body, rejecting as fraudulent results showing that he had lost by nearly 8% to Ouattara.
Almost all world leaders have also recognised Ouattara's victory and demanded that Gbagbo step down. The UN mission includes some 10 000 soldiers and police, and is supported by the French LICORNE force. Hundreds of peacekeepers have been deployed to defend Ouattara's makeshift headquarters in Abidjan's lagoon-side Golf Hotel. At least 20 people were killed on Thursday in clashes between pro-Ouattara marchers and security forces. Former rebels supporting Ouattara also briefly exchanged fire with government soldiers.
Several Western diplomats in New York told Reuters that Gbago had no legal authority to order UN and French peacekeepers out of the country since he lost the election. They said only Ouattara had that authority now. Ban has warned of the potential for a resumption of civil war and called on all sides to avoid triggering further violence. Haq said Ban was "deeply concerned" about attacks on UN troops by forces who appeared to be loyal to Gbagbo. The leader of Gbagbo's feared Young Patriots militia group, Ble Goude, told Reuters they may march on the hotel where Ouattara is staying to force him out. And at a rally of several thousand in the poor neighbourhood of Yopougon, he called on his militia to "liberate" Côte d’Ivoire. "We will defend the sovereignty of our country," Goude, also Gbagbo's youth minister, said. "We ask them [the UN] to leave our country. Get ready, because from next Friday I will need you for the total liberation of Côte d’Ivoire."
The United States, France and the European Union have heaped pressure on Gbagbo to step down, threatening sanctions if he does not do so within days. A top US State Department official told Reuters on Friday that Gbagbo had also been offered a "soft landing" in exile in an African country if he steps down. But a Gbagbo spokesperson said Gbagbo had no intention of leaving.
Gbagbo came to power in 2000 after a disputed election against coup leader Robert Guei, and two years later survived a rebellion that split the country into a rebel-held north and his government-controlled south. The turmoil in the world's top grower of cocoa raised cocoa futures to four-month highs in recent weeks, though futures prices have since eased, with second-month cocoa in New York settling down nearly 2% on Friday.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Ivory Coast: Call for the protection of civilians and respect of the population’s fundamental rights
Very concerned about the current political and security situation in Ivory Coast, our organizations firmly condemn acts of violence against civilians and constraints to their fundamental rights and liberties. We fear an escalation of violence during the marches scheduled for Thursday 16 and Friday 17 December 2010 and urge Ivorian political leaders to call on their supporters to remain calm and refrain from acts of violence.
On 3 December 2010, the Ivorian Constitutional Council announced the victory of Laurent Gbagbo, thereby invalidating a previous announcement from the independent electoral commission naming Alassane Dramane Ouattara as the winner of the election. Since then, Ivory Coast has found itself in an unprecedented political and institutional gridlock, leading to many illegal acts of violence against civilian populations and constraints to their fundamental rights and liberties.
It is estimated that acts of violence in the whole country so far may have already caused the death of dozens of people, with several hundreds more being injured. Approximately 3700 people have fled Ivory Coast to take refuge to neighboring countries, in particular in Liberia. Intimidation and threats against groups perceived as supporting one party or the other as well as information about the presence of militias, including some coming from outside the country, and the flow of illegal weapons are also matters of serious concern.
Public liberties are seriously threatened. On 2 December 2010, under the pretext of ‘maintaining social peace', the national council of audiovisual communications decided to censor international medias, thereby depriving the Ivorian population of their right to information. Some journalists have been subjected to intimidation, thereby constraining their freedom of expression. A curfew was put in place on the eve of the presidential election and has just been extended by a week, constraining freedom of movement of civilians. The economic situation, marked by a sharp increase in food prices, might deteriorate further, first hurting civilian populations once again.
Guillaume Soro (Alassane Ouattara's Prime Minister) has announced that he will march onto the headquarters of State television on Thursday 16 December and that he will chair a council of ministers in government buildings the following day. Marches around these events may lead to acts of violence. Indeed, on 13 December, Ouattara's army (‘Forces nouvelles') as well as UN forces had to fire warning shots to disperse Gbagbo forces who had barricaded the hotel where Ouattara's government is currently taking refuge.
Our organizations therefore urge:
* Political leaders of both parties to manage the current political and institutional crisis responsibly, taking all necessary measures to prevent an increase in violence and guarantee the security and physical integrity of the civilian population in Ivory Coast. More specifically, our organizations urge political leaders to call on their supporters to remain calm and avoid any acts of violence.
* Military leaders, in particular leaders of the Garde Républicaine, Marine Nationale (national navy) and the Command Centre for security operations, as well as armed troops of the Forces nouvelles, to take all necessary measures to prevent any illegal acts of violence by security and defense forces, as they could be held accountable for these acts.
* Political and military leaders to guarantee basic rights and liberties of the Ivoirian population, including by ending censorship of international medias.
* Media outlets able to operate in the whole country to act responsibly by avoiding any appeals to hate or violence.
* ONUCI to implement its mandate "to protect [...] civilians under imminent threat of physical violence" and to "collect [...] arms and any related materiel" circulating illegally in the whole country.
Our organizations further remind that the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has urged supporters of both opponents and security forces to refrain from violence and has indicated that "All reported acts of violence will be closely scrutinized by the Office."
Signatory organizations :
* Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) - Ivory Coast
* Association mauritanienne des droits de l'Homme (AMDH) - Mauritania
* Association nigérienne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (ANDDH) - Niger
* Convention de la société civile ivoirienne (CSCI)
* Groupe Lotus - Democratic Republic of Congo
* Human Rights Watch
* International Federation for Human Rigths (FIDH)
* International Federation of the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT)
* International Refugees Rights Initiative (IRRI)
* La Voix des Sans Voix pour les droits de l'Homme - Democratic Republic of Congo
* Ligue des électeurs (LE) - Democratic Republic of Congo
* Ligue burundaise des droits de l'Homme (ITEKA) - Burundi
* Ligue ivoirienne des droits de l'Homme (LIDHO) - Ivory Coast
* Ligue sénégalaise des droits humains - Senegal
* Ligue tchadienne des droits de l'Homme (LTDH) - Chad
* Ligue togolaise des droits de l'Homme (LTDH) - Togo
* Maison des droits de l'Homme du Cameroun - Cameroun
* Mouvement burkinabé des droits de l'Homme et des peuples (MBDHP) - Burkina Faso
* Mouvement ivoirien des droits humains (MIDH) - Ivory Coast
* Organisation guinéenne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (OGDH) - Guinea-Conakry
* Observatoire congolais des droits de l'Homme (OCDH) - Republic of Congo
* Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (RADDHO) - Senegal
* Union interafricaine des droits de l'Homme (UIDH)
Source: Human Rights Watch
On 3 December 2010, the Ivorian Constitutional Council announced the victory of Laurent Gbagbo, thereby invalidating a previous announcement from the independent electoral commission naming Alassane Dramane Ouattara as the winner of the election. Since then, Ivory Coast has found itself in an unprecedented political and institutional gridlock, leading to many illegal acts of violence against civilian populations and constraints to their fundamental rights and liberties.
It is estimated that acts of violence in the whole country so far may have already caused the death of dozens of people, with several hundreds more being injured. Approximately 3700 people have fled Ivory Coast to take refuge to neighboring countries, in particular in Liberia. Intimidation and threats against groups perceived as supporting one party or the other as well as information about the presence of militias, including some coming from outside the country, and the flow of illegal weapons are also matters of serious concern.
Public liberties are seriously threatened. On 2 December 2010, under the pretext of ‘maintaining social peace', the national council of audiovisual communications decided to censor international medias, thereby depriving the Ivorian population of their right to information. Some journalists have been subjected to intimidation, thereby constraining their freedom of expression. A curfew was put in place on the eve of the presidential election and has just been extended by a week, constraining freedom of movement of civilians. The economic situation, marked by a sharp increase in food prices, might deteriorate further, first hurting civilian populations once again.
Guillaume Soro (Alassane Ouattara's Prime Minister) has announced that he will march onto the headquarters of State television on Thursday 16 December and that he will chair a council of ministers in government buildings the following day. Marches around these events may lead to acts of violence. Indeed, on 13 December, Ouattara's army (‘Forces nouvelles') as well as UN forces had to fire warning shots to disperse Gbagbo forces who had barricaded the hotel where Ouattara's government is currently taking refuge.
Our organizations therefore urge:
* Political leaders of both parties to manage the current political and institutional crisis responsibly, taking all necessary measures to prevent an increase in violence and guarantee the security and physical integrity of the civilian population in Ivory Coast. More specifically, our organizations urge political leaders to call on their supporters to remain calm and avoid any acts of violence.
* Military leaders, in particular leaders of the Garde Républicaine, Marine Nationale (national navy) and the Command Centre for security operations, as well as armed troops of the Forces nouvelles, to take all necessary measures to prevent any illegal acts of violence by security and defense forces, as they could be held accountable for these acts.
* Political and military leaders to guarantee basic rights and liberties of the Ivoirian population, including by ending censorship of international medias.
* Media outlets able to operate in the whole country to act responsibly by avoiding any appeals to hate or violence.
* ONUCI to implement its mandate "to protect [...] civilians under imminent threat of physical violence" and to "collect [...] arms and any related materiel" circulating illegally in the whole country.
Our organizations further remind that the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has urged supporters of both opponents and security forces to refrain from violence and has indicated that "All reported acts of violence will be closely scrutinized by the Office."
Signatory organizations :
* Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) - Ivory Coast
* Association mauritanienne des droits de l'Homme (AMDH) - Mauritania
* Association nigérienne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (ANDDH) - Niger
* Convention de la société civile ivoirienne (CSCI)
* Groupe Lotus - Democratic Republic of Congo
* Human Rights Watch
* International Federation for Human Rigths (FIDH)
* International Federation of the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT)
* International Refugees Rights Initiative (IRRI)
* La Voix des Sans Voix pour les droits de l'Homme - Democratic Republic of Congo
* Ligue des électeurs (LE) - Democratic Republic of Congo
* Ligue burundaise des droits de l'Homme (ITEKA) - Burundi
* Ligue ivoirienne des droits de l'Homme (LIDHO) - Ivory Coast
* Ligue sénégalaise des droits humains - Senegal
* Ligue tchadienne des droits de l'Homme (LTDH) - Chad
* Ligue togolaise des droits de l'Homme (LTDH) - Togo
* Maison des droits de l'Homme du Cameroun - Cameroun
* Mouvement burkinabé des droits de l'Homme et des peuples (MBDHP) - Burkina Faso
* Mouvement ivoirien des droits humains (MIDH) - Ivory Coast
* Organisation guinéenne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (OGDH) - Guinea-Conakry
* Observatoire congolais des droits de l'Homme (OCDH) - Republic of Congo
* Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (RADDHO) - Senegal
* Union interafricaine des droits de l'Homme (UIDH)
Source: Human Rights Watch
Friday, December 10, 2010
Ivory Coast: African Union Suspension
The African Union suspended Ivory Coast on Thursday until President Laurent Gbagbo hands over power to Alassane Ouattara. According to provisional results, Mr. Ouattara won the election last month. The United States said it would consider sanctions against Mr. Gbagbo, his family and supporters if he did not step down.
Source: New York Times
Source: New York Times
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Ivory Coast: U.N. Affirms Vote Results
The incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, had no grounds to dispute the results of the Nov. 28 presidential election that gave the victory to his rival, the United Nations said Wednesday after reviewing the vote. Mr. Gbagbo has defied international calls to step down, despite provisional results giving his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, a near 10-point margin. The United Nations mission chief, Y. J. Choi, left, said the decision of the Constitutional Council to overturn the election was “not based on facts.” He also denied accusations from the Gbagbo camp that he had meddled in internal affairs by declaring Mr. Ouattara the winner. “I remain absolutely certain that I have found the truth concerning the will of the Ivorian people,” he said, adding that Mr. Ouattara won “with an irrefutable margin.”
Source: New York Times
Source: New York Times
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Mbeki arrives to mediate in Côte d'Ivoire
Former president Thabo Mbeki arrived on Sunday in Abidjan on an emergency mission to mediate after Côte d'Ivoire's disputed presidential election, airport sources said.
Mbeki had been sent by the African Union (AU) to try to settle the standoff between long-term incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Outtara, who are each claiming the presidency.
Gbagbo has defied international calls for him to cede power after the United Nations recognised Ouattara as the winner, raising fears of further violence in the country where at least 17 people have been killed since last week.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Mbeki had been sent by the African Union (AU) to try to settle the standoff between long-term incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Outtara, who are each claiming the presidency.
Gbagbo has defied international calls for him to cede power after the United Nations recognised Ouattara as the winner, raising fears of further violence in the country where at least 17 people have been killed since last week.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Standoff Set Up With 2 Ivory Coast Presidents
Defying international observers and the country’s own electoral commission, officials tied to President Laurent Gbagbo on Friday declared him the winner of a landmark election in this troubled West African nation, potentially setting the stage for the kind of violence and division that the long-awaited voting was supposed to prevent.
The announcement, made by the Constitutional Council, came only a day after the country’s top election official said Mr. Gbagbo’s challenger had won the election by a solid margin, 54.1 to 45.9 percent — a result the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, also endorsed on Friday. The United Nations has a role in certifying the elections, and both Mr. Ban and his longtime special representative here made it clear there was only one winner of last Sunday’s vote: the opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara.
The conflicting declarations left the country in a strange limbo, with two men declared president, and on Friday Mr. Gbagbo’s government found itself under increasing isolation, some of it self-imposed. It has ordered the country’s borders sealed, blocked all foreign television and radio broadcasts — much of the population gets its news from French broadcasters — and imposed a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew.
President Obama issued a statement congratulating Mr. Ouattara. He urged “all parties, including incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, to acknowledge and respect this result, and to allow Côte d’Ivoire to move forward toward a peaceful, democratic future, leaving long years of conflict and missed opportunities in the past.”
The streets of this economic capital were largely deserted except for troops, police officers and occasional bands of chanting youth, some of them Gbagbo supporters. Shops were shut tight, anticipating the street violence — often mobilized by Mr. Gbagbo’s camp, political scientists say — that sometimes accompanies political tension here. Calls from Washington and other foreign capitals to respect last Sunday’s vote, which was characterized as largely fair by the European Union and the United Nations, have multiplied. But Mr. Gbagbo showed no signs of backing down. State television announced that he would be sworn in Saturday as president. For years, he ignored calls from abroad to hold elections, staying in office five years after his legal term expired by postponing the vote. On Friday, Mr. Gbagbo, a former professor and historian, appeared set to continue in that vein, with legal justifications for his continued tenure fully mobilized.
Paul Yao N’Dre, the head of the Constitutional Council and a close ally of the president, announced Friday afternoon on national television that he was throwing out vote totals from the nine departments in the country’s northern tier — the stronghold of Mr. Ouattara — because of what Mr. N’Dre called “flagrant irregularities.” At the end of it, Mr. N’Dre said, “Laurent Gbagbo is declared president of the republic.” Earlier, Mr. Ouattara’s camp had drawn its own line in the sand. “Maybe Laurent Gbagbo thinks he can stage a new putsch in 2010,” a spokesman for Mr. Ouattara, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, told a roomful of reporters here at the fading luxury hotel that is their headquarters. “But this doesn’t change anything. The people of Côte d’Ivoire have spoken. Laurent Gbagbo is beaten.”
Later, Mr. Ouattara declared himself the “elected president.” Years of political confrontation here, with its coups and countercoups, civil war, street violence and postponed elections, seemed poised to repeat itself. The country has been divided between north and south since a 2002 civil war, and it had been hoped that the election would unify it.
A front-page headline in a newspaper close to Mr. Gbagbo translated as “France’s Coup d’État Has Once Again Failed,” singling out the former colonial power that has been the target of the president’s crowd-stirring orations in the past. Late Friday, the few pedestrians out as curfew approached spoke anxiously, and sometimes angrily, about the standoff that was repeating itself in a country that was once a magnet for the region’s immigrants but that now has steadily rising rates of poverty and unemployment.
The announcement that Mr. Gbagbo was the winner “is going to bring on lots of bad things in this country,” said Charles Adou, 36 and unemployed. “Mr. Gbagbo doesn’t want us to go forward. Referring to Mr. N’Dre, who declared Mr. Gbagbo’s victory, Michel Koffi, 28 and unemployed, said, “You put your friend at the head of an institution, you know what the result is going to be.” Analysts foresaw no quick resolution to the standoff. One unknown factor is which way the army, currently under Mr. Gbagbo’s control, will turn. “He’s playing his all,” said Richard Banegas, a political scientist at the Sorbonne in Paris. “He is extremely pugnacious, and he controls a lot of the street forces. He’s gone into a Plan B, a strategy of tension, a kind of Mugabe plan.”
Source: New York Times
The announcement, made by the Constitutional Council, came only a day after the country’s top election official said Mr. Gbagbo’s challenger had won the election by a solid margin, 54.1 to 45.9 percent — a result the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, also endorsed on Friday. The United Nations has a role in certifying the elections, and both Mr. Ban and his longtime special representative here made it clear there was only one winner of last Sunday’s vote: the opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara.
The conflicting declarations left the country in a strange limbo, with two men declared president, and on Friday Mr. Gbagbo’s government found itself under increasing isolation, some of it self-imposed. It has ordered the country’s borders sealed, blocked all foreign television and radio broadcasts — much of the population gets its news from French broadcasters — and imposed a strict dusk-to-dawn curfew.
President Obama issued a statement congratulating Mr. Ouattara. He urged “all parties, including incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, to acknowledge and respect this result, and to allow Côte d’Ivoire to move forward toward a peaceful, democratic future, leaving long years of conflict and missed opportunities in the past.”
The streets of this economic capital were largely deserted except for troops, police officers and occasional bands of chanting youth, some of them Gbagbo supporters. Shops were shut tight, anticipating the street violence — often mobilized by Mr. Gbagbo’s camp, political scientists say — that sometimes accompanies political tension here. Calls from Washington and other foreign capitals to respect last Sunday’s vote, which was characterized as largely fair by the European Union and the United Nations, have multiplied. But Mr. Gbagbo showed no signs of backing down. State television announced that he would be sworn in Saturday as president. For years, he ignored calls from abroad to hold elections, staying in office five years after his legal term expired by postponing the vote. On Friday, Mr. Gbagbo, a former professor and historian, appeared set to continue in that vein, with legal justifications for his continued tenure fully mobilized.
Paul Yao N’Dre, the head of the Constitutional Council and a close ally of the president, announced Friday afternoon on national television that he was throwing out vote totals from the nine departments in the country’s northern tier — the stronghold of Mr. Ouattara — because of what Mr. N’Dre called “flagrant irregularities.” At the end of it, Mr. N’Dre said, “Laurent Gbagbo is declared president of the republic.” Earlier, Mr. Ouattara’s camp had drawn its own line in the sand. “Maybe Laurent Gbagbo thinks he can stage a new putsch in 2010,” a spokesman for Mr. Ouattara, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, told a roomful of reporters here at the fading luxury hotel that is their headquarters. “But this doesn’t change anything. The people of Côte d’Ivoire have spoken. Laurent Gbagbo is beaten.”
Later, Mr. Ouattara declared himself the “elected president.” Years of political confrontation here, with its coups and countercoups, civil war, street violence and postponed elections, seemed poised to repeat itself. The country has been divided between north and south since a 2002 civil war, and it had been hoped that the election would unify it.
A front-page headline in a newspaper close to Mr. Gbagbo translated as “France’s Coup d’État Has Once Again Failed,” singling out the former colonial power that has been the target of the president’s crowd-stirring orations in the past. Late Friday, the few pedestrians out as curfew approached spoke anxiously, and sometimes angrily, about the standoff that was repeating itself in a country that was once a magnet for the region’s immigrants but that now has steadily rising rates of poverty and unemployment.
The announcement that Mr. Gbagbo was the winner “is going to bring on lots of bad things in this country,” said Charles Adou, 36 and unemployed. “Mr. Gbagbo doesn’t want us to go forward. Referring to Mr. N’Dre, who declared Mr. Gbagbo’s victory, Michel Koffi, 28 and unemployed, said, “You put your friend at the head of an institution, you know what the result is going to be.” Analysts foresaw no quick resolution to the standoff. One unknown factor is which way the army, currently under Mr. Gbagbo’s control, will turn. “He’s playing his all,” said Richard Banegas, a political scientist at the Sorbonne in Paris. “He is extremely pugnacious, and he controls a lot of the street forces. He’s gone into a Plan B, a strategy of tension, a kind of Mugabe plan.”
Source: New York Times
Friday, December 3, 2010
Alassane Outtarra has been declared winner of the Ivory Coast presidential election
After days of turmoil and uncertainty, the Ivory Coast Election Commission Chief, Youssouf Bakayoko, has announced that Opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara, has won 54.1 percent of the vote against the incumbent Laurent Gabgbo who managed a 45.9 percent share. But as expected, the supporters of the incumbent president described the announcement as an attempted coup d’état. This has led to the country’s border being closed and foreign journalists banned from reporting within the country.
In a statement immediately after the results were announced, Alassane Outtarra said “I remind my brother Laurent Gbagbo of our mutual engagement to respect the results proclaimed by the independent electoral commission,” he said. “I’m proud of my country which has resolutely chosen democracy today and I hope this leads to a durable peace in Ivory Coast.” The veteran opposition politician also called on his supporters to be calm and respect the outcome.
Apparently, for the result to become legitimate, they must be validated by the country’s constitutional council. But concerns have been expressed by analysts who are questioning the impartiality of the council as it is led by a ruling party loyalist called Paul Yao N’Dre. He (N’Dre) has already been quoted saying on state-controlled television, that the results announced by the electoral commission are invalid because they (the commission) missed a constitutionally prescribed mandate to make the announcement before the midnight deadline this past Wednesday.
Local state-owned media are accusing foreign governments of interference in the election and have denounced the electoral commission’s announcement. But it seems Laurent Gbagbo has lost the support of the international community and that of his own people, and it is extremely difficult to see him making any attempt once more to hang on to power as the writing seems to be finally on the wall that the people want change. Any further attempt to use violent means to stay in power might provoke all-out war in a country that has seen its own share of brutal civil conflict. The African Union should intervene immediately to ensure full democratic transition of power and prevent the country slipping into anarchy.
Source: Newstime Africa
In a statement immediately after the results were announced, Alassane Outtarra said “I remind my brother Laurent Gbagbo of our mutual engagement to respect the results proclaimed by the independent electoral commission,” he said. “I’m proud of my country which has resolutely chosen democracy today and I hope this leads to a durable peace in Ivory Coast.” The veteran opposition politician also called on his supporters to be calm and respect the outcome.
Apparently, for the result to become legitimate, they must be validated by the country’s constitutional council. But concerns have been expressed by analysts who are questioning the impartiality of the council as it is led by a ruling party loyalist called Paul Yao N’Dre. He (N’Dre) has already been quoted saying on state-controlled television, that the results announced by the electoral commission are invalid because they (the commission) missed a constitutionally prescribed mandate to make the announcement before the midnight deadline this past Wednesday.
Local state-owned media are accusing foreign governments of interference in the election and have denounced the electoral commission’s announcement. But it seems Laurent Gbagbo has lost the support of the international community and that of his own people, and it is extremely difficult to see him making any attempt once more to hang on to power as the writing seems to be finally on the wall that the people want change. Any further attempt to use violent means to stay in power might provoke all-out war in a country that has seen its own share of brutal civil conflict. The African Union should intervene immediately to ensure full democratic transition of power and prevent the country slipping into anarchy.
Source: Newstime Africa
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
EU expresses concern over Côte d'Ivoire vote count
European Union (EU) observers raised concerns on Tuesday about ballot counting in Côte d'Ivoire's first election since civil war erupted in the country eight years ago, criticising authorities for delaying the release of results and barring monitors from some centres where votes were being tabulated.
The head of the EU's 120-strong observer mission, Cristian Preda, said the failure to release any significant tally so far was fuelling tension among a nervous electorate. However, Preda said the EU had detected "no indications of fraud" in Sunday's poll and praised it for having been carried out peacefully.
Yves Tadet, an electoral commission official, said he was unaware of any observers being denied access to counting centres, but said they could have been turned away for failing to have proper paperwork. The commission has blamed logistical problems and heavy rains for delaying results for two days. Tadet said a final tally could be expected on Wednesday, as scheduled.
The vote is seen as a critical turning point in Côte d'Ivoire's history. Many hope it will restore stability and reunify the country, but some worry it could spark violence if political rivals fail to accept the outcome. Deepening fears over possible unrest prompted some businesses to close temporarily on Tuesday or send workers home early, and highways in skyscraper-lined Abidjan were void of usual traffic jams. The head of the armed forces, General Phillipe Mangou, went on state television to urge residents to resume normal life and stay calm.
The ballot has pitted 65-year-old President Laurent Gbagbo against 13 challengers, including 68-year-old opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who is wildly popular in the pro-rebel north, as well as 76-year-old ex-president Henri Konan Bédié, who was toppled in 1999 in the nation's first coup d'état. If no candidate wins a simple majority, the top two finishers will face off in a second round on November 28.
Preda said EU monitors spread across the country had noted minor problems at polling stations during Sunday's poll. About 80% of stations opened hours later than stipulated because materials were not ready, not all electoral members were present in some, and one-tenth of ballot boxes were not properly sealed. However, he said the EU was generally satisfied with the vote itself and was preoccupied with the critical phase of monitoring the vote count. "The electoral commission, though, had refused to give 14 observers access to centres where ballots were being collated in several parts of the country," he said. Those included the crucial headquarters of the electoral commission's in the main city, Abidjan, where national results would be released.
EU observers at the electoral headquarters confirmed separately that since counting began on Sunday night, they had been unable to enter the room where national results were being tabulated. "It's an act that we deplore and there is no rational explanation for it," Preda said. "Everything must be transparent." Tadet, the electoral official, said that although monitors could observe counting at polling stations and regional centres across the country, they were not allowed to observe the final tabulation of results at the independent electoral commission's headquarters. Preda said that his observers were still being refused entry in some counting centres on Tuesday morning because authorities had told them "there is nothing to see".
The U.S.-based Carter Centre also said one of its monitors had been told to leave a vote counting centre in the capital, Yamoussoukro. But others had no problems and the mission generally praised the electoral process, as did the African Union. The Carter Centre said voter turnout had been at about 74% -- higher than expected. The vote had been delayed for five years because of disputes over voter rolls. Gbagbo, whose five-year mandate officially expired in 2005, stayed in office claiming elections were impossible because of a 2002-2003 war that left rebels in control of the north.
Côte d'Ivoire has been struggling to hold the vote since a 2007 peace deal broke years of political stalemate, leading to the dismantlement of a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone that had marked the divide between the rebel-held north and the government-loyalist south.
Source: Mail & Guardian
The head of the EU's 120-strong observer mission, Cristian Preda, said the failure to release any significant tally so far was fuelling tension among a nervous electorate. However, Preda said the EU had detected "no indications of fraud" in Sunday's poll and praised it for having been carried out peacefully.
Yves Tadet, an electoral commission official, said he was unaware of any observers being denied access to counting centres, but said they could have been turned away for failing to have proper paperwork. The commission has blamed logistical problems and heavy rains for delaying results for two days. Tadet said a final tally could be expected on Wednesday, as scheduled.
The vote is seen as a critical turning point in Côte d'Ivoire's history. Many hope it will restore stability and reunify the country, but some worry it could spark violence if political rivals fail to accept the outcome. Deepening fears over possible unrest prompted some businesses to close temporarily on Tuesday or send workers home early, and highways in skyscraper-lined Abidjan were void of usual traffic jams. The head of the armed forces, General Phillipe Mangou, went on state television to urge residents to resume normal life and stay calm.
The ballot has pitted 65-year-old President Laurent Gbagbo against 13 challengers, including 68-year-old opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who is wildly popular in the pro-rebel north, as well as 76-year-old ex-president Henri Konan Bédié, who was toppled in 1999 in the nation's first coup d'état. If no candidate wins a simple majority, the top two finishers will face off in a second round on November 28.
Preda said EU monitors spread across the country had noted minor problems at polling stations during Sunday's poll. About 80% of stations opened hours later than stipulated because materials were not ready, not all electoral members were present in some, and one-tenth of ballot boxes were not properly sealed. However, he said the EU was generally satisfied with the vote itself and was preoccupied with the critical phase of monitoring the vote count. "The electoral commission, though, had refused to give 14 observers access to centres where ballots were being collated in several parts of the country," he said. Those included the crucial headquarters of the electoral commission's in the main city, Abidjan, where national results would be released.
EU observers at the electoral headquarters confirmed separately that since counting began on Sunday night, they had been unable to enter the room where national results were being tabulated. "It's an act that we deplore and there is no rational explanation for it," Preda said. "Everything must be transparent." Tadet, the electoral official, said that although monitors could observe counting at polling stations and regional centres across the country, they were not allowed to observe the final tabulation of results at the independent electoral commission's headquarters. Preda said that his observers were still being refused entry in some counting centres on Tuesday morning because authorities had told them "there is nothing to see".
The U.S.-based Carter Centre also said one of its monitors had been told to leave a vote counting centre in the capital, Yamoussoukro. But others had no problems and the mission generally praised the electoral process, as did the African Union. The Carter Centre said voter turnout had been at about 74% -- higher than expected. The vote had been delayed for five years because of disputes over voter rolls. Gbagbo, whose five-year mandate officially expired in 2005, stayed in office claiming elections were impossible because of a 2002-2003 war that left rebels in control of the north.
Côte d'Ivoire has been struggling to hold the vote since a 2007 peace deal broke years of political stalemate, leading to the dismantlement of a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone that had marked the divide between the rebel-held north and the government-loyalist south.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Monday, July 27, 2009
Alpha Blondy Moves Summerstage
A sea of energetic fans from all over the world welcomed Alpha Blondy, known as the “African Bob Marley” to New York City’s Central Park Summerstage on Sunday, July 19th. The opening acts included performances by Lee “Scratch” Perry, identified as the “father” of reggae and Dubblestandart Sound System. The Ivorian reggae artist branded for his activism ignited this eclectic audience with his strong political lyrics that convey global peace and unity.
The origins of the crowd ranged from Brooklynites, to people from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Diaspora of Africa. The celebration and dancing to the rhythms of his dynamic 12-piece band, the Solar System was non-stop. Alpha’s poignant songs for the evening where Cocody Rock and Peace in Liberia. He unified and uplifted his fans by combining a mini speech with chants into the microphone “Peace in Iraq, Peace in Afghanistan, Peace in Israel and Palestine, Peace in Sudan, Peace in Eritrea…” In the early months of 2008, an American tour was scheduled and was canceled as a result of Alpha experiencing serious health problems. His latest CD was released in 2007 titled “Jah Victory.”
Blondy was named as United Nations Ambassador of Peace for Cote D’Ivoire in 2005 and continuously remains dedicated to his humanitarian efforts through his charitable foundation Alpha Blondy Jah Glory. His mission is to eradicate generational poverty by providing grass roots social programs that are beneficial to the lives of underprivileged children and women from villages within Africa and Haiti.
The foundation’s remarkable programs are Tafari Genesis Retreat Camp and the Micro Loan Program. The camp is considered a safe haven, and escape, for many children who are victims of civil war, and chronic life threatening illnesses like sickle-cell anemia, AIDS and malaria. Alpha Blondy believes, “It should not hurt to be a child.” The plague of HIV and AIDS is causing many children to become orphans who are left to be raised by elders or grandmothers.
The Micro Loan Program provides training and financing as little as $50.00 U.S. dollars to assist women who have become head of households to manage, operate, and start their own businesses. Overall, Alpha Blondy empowers communities to become self sufficient by learning and utilizing basic skills. This concept generates opportunities for many women to maintain their integrity, rebuild confidence as well as provide for their families.
Source: Jamati
The origins of the crowd ranged from Brooklynites, to people from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Diaspora of Africa. The celebration and dancing to the rhythms of his dynamic 12-piece band, the Solar System was non-stop. Alpha’s poignant songs for the evening where Cocody Rock and Peace in Liberia. He unified and uplifted his fans by combining a mini speech with chants into the microphone “Peace in Iraq, Peace in Afghanistan, Peace in Israel and Palestine, Peace in Sudan, Peace in Eritrea…” In the early months of 2008, an American tour was scheduled and was canceled as a result of Alpha experiencing serious health problems. His latest CD was released in 2007 titled “Jah Victory.”
Blondy was named as United Nations Ambassador of Peace for Cote D’Ivoire in 2005 and continuously remains dedicated to his humanitarian efforts through his charitable foundation Alpha Blondy Jah Glory. His mission is to eradicate generational poverty by providing grass roots social programs that are beneficial to the lives of underprivileged children and women from villages within Africa and Haiti.
The foundation’s remarkable programs are Tafari Genesis Retreat Camp and the Micro Loan Program. The camp is considered a safe haven, and escape, for many children who are victims of civil war, and chronic life threatening illnesses like sickle-cell anemia, AIDS and malaria. Alpha Blondy believes, “It should not hurt to be a child.” The plague of HIV and AIDS is causing many children to become orphans who are left to be raised by elders or grandmothers.
The Micro Loan Program provides training and financing as little as $50.00 U.S. dollars to assist women who have become head of households to manage, operate, and start their own businesses. Overall, Alpha Blondy empowers communities to become self sufficient by learning and utilizing basic skills. This concept generates opportunities for many women to maintain their integrity, rebuild confidence as well as provide for their families.
Source: Jamati
Thursday, May 1, 2003
Africa: Liberia: Rebel Leader Sought
Wanted for a campaign of rapes and mutilations in Sierra Leone and accused in the assassination of Felix Doh, a top rebel commander in western Ivory Coast, the warlord Sam Bockarie has found shelter in Liberia, the chief investigator for a special United Nations court said. Mr. Bockarie has been in hiding since his March 10 indictment by the Sierra Leone-based court for crimes against humanity. The investigator, Al White, called on the Liberian president, Charles Taylor, to turn him in or risk prosecution for harboring a war criminal.
Source: New York Times
Source: New York Times
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Africa: Liberia: Inquiry Into Aid Workers' Killings
With the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, demanding an inquiry into the recent killings of three aid workers in eastern Liberia, President Charles Taylor yesterday ordered an official investigation. The government has accused rebels of killing the aid workers, from the American group Adventist Relief and Development Agency. The rebels have denied the charge. The killings have effectively driven all international aid workers from the region, which has been roiled by fresh fighting and an influx of Liberian refugees fleeing the war in neighboring Ivory Coast.
Source: New York Times
Source: New York Times
Friday, October 27, 2000
Dictator Gone, Violence Erupts In Ivory Coast
A day after toppling the military dictator in a popular uprising, residents of Ivory Coast furiously turned against one another today, and the deadly clashes quickly took on religious and ethnic overtones and spread to smaller cities.
Supporters of two of the main political parties, unified the day before in their opposition to the officer, Gen. Robert Guei, were thrust apart today by religion, ethnicity and their leaders' ambitions.
The winner of Sunday's disputed election, Laurent Gbagbo, was sworn in as president this afternoon in the presidential palace. Mr. Gbagbo, who has the backing of the security forces, said he would not hold a new election despite calls to do so from the country's two other major parties, the United Nations, the United States and the Organization for African Unity. ''I extend my hand to everyone,'' he said after the inauguration, adding that he would form a government of national unity as early as Friday.
But Alassane D. Ouattara, a former prime minister who was barred from running in the election and is insisting on a new vote, took refuge in the German ambassador's residence this morning after security forces surrounded his house and fired tear gas and ammunition.
The attack was led by supporters of Mr. Gbagbo and backed by paramilitary gendarmes in two vehicles, according to Mr. Ouattara's supporters and other witnesses. A motley group of Mr. Ouattara's own forces -- including armed guards, traditional hunters known as dozos and young men carrying machetes, Molotov cocktails and rocks -- guarded the house after he fled. ''Look at what they tried to do the house this morning,'' said Ali Coulibaly, a spokesman for Mr. Ouattara, rejecting the idea that his party could work with Mr. Gbagbo. ''We can't tell the difference now between the security forces and Gbagbo's party. Look at the way Gbagbo seized power today.''
Elsewhere in Abidjan, dozens of people were reported killed, pushing the toll over three days to near 90. Only a day earlier, euphoria had swept the country after tens of thousands of Ivoirians descended on the city center and, in scenes that recalled the popular revolt against Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia but were new to Africa, overthrew General Guei. The general, who had declared himself winner of the election after canceling the count, fled Abidjan, though his whereabouts was still unclear tonight.
Immediately after the general's downfall, Mr. Gbagbo declared himself president, called for national reconciliation and lifted the state of emergency and curfew. But tonight, after it became clear that Mr. Ouattara's supporters were unwilling to accept Mr. Gbagbo's terms, the state of emergency and the curfew were reimposed.
Today, supporters of both men fought one another with machetes and clubs, and mosques and churches were attacked in clashes that have increasingly taken an ethnic and religious cast in a country that until recent years was an unusual model of unity in Africa. General Guei and the unpopular president he overthrew last year, Henri Konan Bedie, had each tried to exploit the ethnic and religious divisions, and hence inflamed them. A court controlled by the general excluded Mr. Ouattara, a Muslim, from the vote Sunday, provoking a boycott by his party and many Muslims, who make up 40 percent of the population in this West African nation. The court also barred the Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast, which had governed for most of the country's post-independence history.
In the face of many Muslims' calls for a new election, supporters of Mr. Gbagbo, who like 30 percent of the population is Christian, have vented their anger. His supporters and their gendarme backers seemed to overwhelm Mr. Ouattara's supporters, who began the day with vast demonstrations, and most of those killed today were Muslims. In Abobo, a sprawling working-class neighborhood that suffered the heaviest violence, three mosques were attacked and half a dozen people were reported dead. The neighborhood remained on edge after the morning's riots, with fires smoldering on deserted streets. At one mosque, the imam, Traore Yaya, nervously answered the door when a reporter knocked this morning. Muslim neighbors came quietly out of their houses as he showed two palm-sized tear-gas canisters. ''We were praying on the street in front of the mosque when gendarmes came by and threw tear gas at us,'' the imam said. A jeep filled with gendarmes suddenly passed as he was talking, and the crowd scattered.
On a main street not far away, where a wounded old woman was trying to find help, Muslims also said the gendarmes had backed Mr. Gbagbo's supporters. ''All the gendarmes we saw were from one ethnic group -- Gbagbo's,'' said Sekou Kone, 35, a merchant who had been hiding in his shop. ''This means we are heading into a civil war.'' ''Since the general is gone, the people must now have fair elections,'' he said. ''One-third of the Ivoirian population cannot choose a president,'' a reference to the 37 percent turnout.
By tonight the violence appeared to have died down after two high-ranking officials from Mr. Ouattara's and Mr. Gbagbo's parties appeared together on state television and urged their followers to stop fighting. They announced that the two political leaders would meet, but did not say when. The call for a new election was endorsed by several prominent outsiders, including Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Gnassingbe Eyadema, the president of Togo and the current head of the Organization for African Unity. The United States echoed these calls. ''It's going to be very important for the voices of the disenfranchised Ivoirians to be heard and, in that sense, the holding of free, fair and inclusive elections will be needed,'' said Philip Reeker, a State Department spokesman.
Significantly, however, France, the former colonial power and the biggest foreign power broker here, said it was satisfied with the results of Sunday's election and called for legislative elections to be held as scheduled in December. Mr. Gbagbo, a socialist, has close ties with the Socialist Party in France. According to the final results of the National Electoral Commission, which General Guei dissolved after preliminary figures showed he was trailing, Mr. Gbagbo received 59 percent of the votes, compared with 33 percent for the general. Because of the boycott, only 2 million voted in this country of 15 million people.
Voting was especially light in the Muslim north. In addition to Mr. Ouattara's call for a boycott, the largest Islamic organization told Muslims to stay home. The Ivory Coast was for decades an African anomaly: a country where people of different religions and ethnic groups co-existed peacefully, under policies enacted by President Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who led the country for three decades.
But President Bedie, who took over in the early 1990's, stirred up xenophobia aimed at Muslim northerners in an attempt to sideline his main rival, Mr. Ouattara, who was deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund until last year. As Mr. Bedie spoke of ''pure Ivoirians'' and ''foreigners,'' northerners and immigrants became targets of the authorities. Among ordinary Ivoirians, the cleavages widened between Muslims and Christians. General Guei, who seized power last year, adopted a similar anti-northern position. What is more, Mr. Gbagbo, who had been allied with Mr. Ouattara, broke off their union and also inserted ethnocentric language in his political messages.
Source: new York Times
Supporters of two of the main political parties, unified the day before in their opposition to the officer, Gen. Robert Guei, were thrust apart today by religion, ethnicity and their leaders' ambitions.
The winner of Sunday's disputed election, Laurent Gbagbo, was sworn in as president this afternoon in the presidential palace. Mr. Gbagbo, who has the backing of the security forces, said he would not hold a new election despite calls to do so from the country's two other major parties, the United Nations, the United States and the Organization for African Unity. ''I extend my hand to everyone,'' he said after the inauguration, adding that he would form a government of national unity as early as Friday.
But Alassane D. Ouattara, a former prime minister who was barred from running in the election and is insisting on a new vote, took refuge in the German ambassador's residence this morning after security forces surrounded his house and fired tear gas and ammunition.
The attack was led by supporters of Mr. Gbagbo and backed by paramilitary gendarmes in two vehicles, according to Mr. Ouattara's supporters and other witnesses. A motley group of Mr. Ouattara's own forces -- including armed guards, traditional hunters known as dozos and young men carrying machetes, Molotov cocktails and rocks -- guarded the house after he fled. ''Look at what they tried to do the house this morning,'' said Ali Coulibaly, a spokesman for Mr. Ouattara, rejecting the idea that his party could work with Mr. Gbagbo. ''We can't tell the difference now between the security forces and Gbagbo's party. Look at the way Gbagbo seized power today.''
Elsewhere in Abidjan, dozens of people were reported killed, pushing the toll over three days to near 90. Only a day earlier, euphoria had swept the country after tens of thousands of Ivoirians descended on the city center and, in scenes that recalled the popular revolt against Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia but were new to Africa, overthrew General Guei. The general, who had declared himself winner of the election after canceling the count, fled Abidjan, though his whereabouts was still unclear tonight.
Immediately after the general's downfall, Mr. Gbagbo declared himself president, called for national reconciliation and lifted the state of emergency and curfew. But tonight, after it became clear that Mr. Ouattara's supporters were unwilling to accept Mr. Gbagbo's terms, the state of emergency and the curfew were reimposed.
Today, supporters of both men fought one another with machetes and clubs, and mosques and churches were attacked in clashes that have increasingly taken an ethnic and religious cast in a country that until recent years was an unusual model of unity in Africa. General Guei and the unpopular president he overthrew last year, Henri Konan Bedie, had each tried to exploit the ethnic and religious divisions, and hence inflamed them. A court controlled by the general excluded Mr. Ouattara, a Muslim, from the vote Sunday, provoking a boycott by his party and many Muslims, who make up 40 percent of the population in this West African nation. The court also barred the Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast, which had governed for most of the country's post-independence history.
In the face of many Muslims' calls for a new election, supporters of Mr. Gbagbo, who like 30 percent of the population is Christian, have vented their anger. His supporters and their gendarme backers seemed to overwhelm Mr. Ouattara's supporters, who began the day with vast demonstrations, and most of those killed today were Muslims. In Abobo, a sprawling working-class neighborhood that suffered the heaviest violence, three mosques were attacked and half a dozen people were reported dead. The neighborhood remained on edge after the morning's riots, with fires smoldering on deserted streets. At one mosque, the imam, Traore Yaya, nervously answered the door when a reporter knocked this morning. Muslim neighbors came quietly out of their houses as he showed two palm-sized tear-gas canisters. ''We were praying on the street in front of the mosque when gendarmes came by and threw tear gas at us,'' the imam said. A jeep filled with gendarmes suddenly passed as he was talking, and the crowd scattered.
On a main street not far away, where a wounded old woman was trying to find help, Muslims also said the gendarmes had backed Mr. Gbagbo's supporters. ''All the gendarmes we saw were from one ethnic group -- Gbagbo's,'' said Sekou Kone, 35, a merchant who had been hiding in his shop. ''This means we are heading into a civil war.'' ''Since the general is gone, the people must now have fair elections,'' he said. ''One-third of the Ivoirian population cannot choose a president,'' a reference to the 37 percent turnout.
By tonight the violence appeared to have died down after two high-ranking officials from Mr. Ouattara's and Mr. Gbagbo's parties appeared together on state television and urged their followers to stop fighting. They announced that the two political leaders would meet, but did not say when. The call for a new election was endorsed by several prominent outsiders, including Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Gnassingbe Eyadema, the president of Togo and the current head of the Organization for African Unity. The United States echoed these calls. ''It's going to be very important for the voices of the disenfranchised Ivoirians to be heard and, in that sense, the holding of free, fair and inclusive elections will be needed,'' said Philip Reeker, a State Department spokesman.
Significantly, however, France, the former colonial power and the biggest foreign power broker here, said it was satisfied with the results of Sunday's election and called for legislative elections to be held as scheduled in December. Mr. Gbagbo, a socialist, has close ties with the Socialist Party in France. According to the final results of the National Electoral Commission, which General Guei dissolved after preliminary figures showed he was trailing, Mr. Gbagbo received 59 percent of the votes, compared with 33 percent for the general. Because of the boycott, only 2 million voted in this country of 15 million people.
Voting was especially light in the Muslim north. In addition to Mr. Ouattara's call for a boycott, the largest Islamic organization told Muslims to stay home. The Ivory Coast was for decades an African anomaly: a country where people of different religions and ethnic groups co-existed peacefully, under policies enacted by President Felix Houphouet-Boigny, who led the country for three decades.
But President Bedie, who took over in the early 1990's, stirred up xenophobia aimed at Muslim northerners in an attempt to sideline his main rival, Mr. Ouattara, who was deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund until last year. As Mr. Bedie spoke of ''pure Ivoirians'' and ''foreigners,'' northerners and immigrants became targets of the authorities. Among ordinary Ivoirians, the cleavages widened between Muslims and Christians. General Guei, who seized power last year, adopted a similar anti-northern position. What is more, Mr. Gbagbo, who had been allied with Mr. Ouattara, broke off their union and also inserted ethnocentric language in his political messages.
Source: new York Times
Wednesday, October 25, 2000
Ivory Coast Ruler Declares Himself Winner
The military ruler, Gen. Robert Guei, declared himself winner of Sunday's presidential election today, dissolving the electoral commission that had shown him trailing his main opponent and dashing hopes that the vote would reverse this West African country's yearlong slide into political instability.
The announcement set off immediate and widespread protests here and in several other cities. On Monday, after preliminary results indicated that the main opposition leader, Laurent Gbagbo, had an 11-point lead, soldiers invaded the offices of the National Electoral Commission and halted the vote-counting. Mr. Gbagbo reacted furiously to the announcement, which had been read out by a mid-ranking electoral official at a hastily called news conference at the Interior Ministry. Declaring himself the country's rightful new president, Mr. Gbagbo called on his supporters "to stand up against the impostor." His party said later that two people were killed in a confrontation with soldiers.
Thousands took to the streets late this afternoon, marching through several of the city's working-class neighborhoods, setting up roadblocks and burning tires. Gunfire punctuated chants of "Guei, thief!" Soldiers fired shots in the air and tear gas at protesters who had approached the national radio building. Thousands more moved toward the two bridges leading to downtown Abidjan and the presidential palace. But the security forces, who appeared to remain loyal to General Guei, blocked their advance. "Enough is enough," said Juliette Adjoua Koffi, a woman who had joined marchers in the neighborhood of Port Bouet. "I have never participated in a demonstration before. I'm sick over this. It's a masquerade, a fraud. Guei has to leave power. If he doesn't leave, it's war."
A man in the crowd expressed anger that the military government had annulled an election that many ordinary Ivoirians had supported through small donations, after Western countries had cut off support, to protest what they said would be an unfair vote. "All of us gave what we could because we believed in democracy," he said. "But now we see that this transition will never end. We've been waiting and waiting."
The center of Abidjan was quiet tonight after the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew throughout the country. Earlier in the day, before the announcement, the military had placed tanks at critical spots in downtown Abidjan. As the electoral commission kept an ominous silence, shops closed early, schoolchildren went home, and Air France canceled its daily flight here from Paris.
Today's announcement drew strong condemnation the European Union, including France, the former colonial power, and the United States. "We call on the military junta to respect the will of the Ivoirian people," said Philip Reeker, the State Department spokesman. "General Guei cannot legitimize his rule through a military coup, followed by an illegitimate election."
Earlier this month, the European Union and Washington had said they would not endorse the election after a court controlled by General Guei eliminated the candidates of the two major parties. But privately, foreign diplomats had said that a victory by Mr. Gbagbo would have helped the Ivory Coast re-establish ties with the West and international donors.
Today's turn of events cast a shadow on this region of Africa, where the Ivory Coast had long been an anchor of stability and one of the few African nations not to have experienced a coup until last December. It was in a Dec. 24 putsch that General Guei toppled the unpopular civilian government of President Henri Konan Bedie. The general claimed not to be interested in long-term power, but he sidelined his political and military rivals in recent months and eventually declared his intention to run as president. Last Friday, General Guei promised on national television that he would respect the election's results. But clearly he did not like what he saw on Monday morning, the day after what was widely considered a well-organized and fair vote.
With 8 percent of the ballots counted, the electoral commission had Mr. Gbagbo ahead with 11 percentage points. Mr. Gbagbo's own numbers, based on tallies given to each party representative at the voting booths, gave the politician an overwhelming lead. Today, the military government accused the commission of incompetence and said that "massive fraud organized by certain political parties" had been committed.
The commission's president, Honore Guie, was taken away in a sport-utility vehicle by soldiers. Shortly afterward, at the Interior Ministry, a mid-ranking electoral official, Daniel Bamba Cheik, said that the commission had been dissolved. He said that it had counted the ballots in "confusion" and that its conclusions were worthless. Mr. Cheik announced the junta's election results, which gave the general 53 percent of the votes, compared with 48 percent for Mr. Gbagbo. A couple of hours later, General Guei gave a short speech declaring himself the new president.
Complimenting Ivoirians for their "maturity and solidarity," General Guei said: "You have fulfilled your civic duty, the results of which have made this humble person the first president of the second Republic."
Source: New York Times
The announcement set off immediate and widespread protests here and in several other cities. On Monday, after preliminary results indicated that the main opposition leader, Laurent Gbagbo, had an 11-point lead, soldiers invaded the offices of the National Electoral Commission and halted the vote-counting. Mr. Gbagbo reacted furiously to the announcement, which had been read out by a mid-ranking electoral official at a hastily called news conference at the Interior Ministry. Declaring himself the country's rightful new president, Mr. Gbagbo called on his supporters "to stand up against the impostor." His party said later that two people were killed in a confrontation with soldiers.
Thousands took to the streets late this afternoon, marching through several of the city's working-class neighborhoods, setting up roadblocks and burning tires. Gunfire punctuated chants of "Guei, thief!" Soldiers fired shots in the air and tear gas at protesters who had approached the national radio building. Thousands more moved toward the two bridges leading to downtown Abidjan and the presidential palace. But the security forces, who appeared to remain loyal to General Guei, blocked their advance. "Enough is enough," said Juliette Adjoua Koffi, a woman who had joined marchers in the neighborhood of Port Bouet. "I have never participated in a demonstration before. I'm sick over this. It's a masquerade, a fraud. Guei has to leave power. If he doesn't leave, it's war."
A man in the crowd expressed anger that the military government had annulled an election that many ordinary Ivoirians had supported through small donations, after Western countries had cut off support, to protest what they said would be an unfair vote. "All of us gave what we could because we believed in democracy," he said. "But now we see that this transition will never end. We've been waiting and waiting."
The center of Abidjan was quiet tonight after the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew throughout the country. Earlier in the day, before the announcement, the military had placed tanks at critical spots in downtown Abidjan. As the electoral commission kept an ominous silence, shops closed early, schoolchildren went home, and Air France canceled its daily flight here from Paris.
Today's announcement drew strong condemnation the European Union, including France, the former colonial power, and the United States. "We call on the military junta to respect the will of the Ivoirian people," said Philip Reeker, the State Department spokesman. "General Guei cannot legitimize his rule through a military coup, followed by an illegitimate election."
Earlier this month, the European Union and Washington had said they would not endorse the election after a court controlled by General Guei eliminated the candidates of the two major parties. But privately, foreign diplomats had said that a victory by Mr. Gbagbo would have helped the Ivory Coast re-establish ties with the West and international donors.
Today's turn of events cast a shadow on this region of Africa, where the Ivory Coast had long been an anchor of stability and one of the few African nations not to have experienced a coup until last December. It was in a Dec. 24 putsch that General Guei toppled the unpopular civilian government of President Henri Konan Bedie. The general claimed not to be interested in long-term power, but he sidelined his political and military rivals in recent months and eventually declared his intention to run as president. Last Friday, General Guei promised on national television that he would respect the election's results. But clearly he did not like what he saw on Monday morning, the day after what was widely considered a well-organized and fair vote.
With 8 percent of the ballots counted, the electoral commission had Mr. Gbagbo ahead with 11 percentage points. Mr. Gbagbo's own numbers, based on tallies given to each party representative at the voting booths, gave the politician an overwhelming lead. Today, the military government accused the commission of incompetence and said that "massive fraud organized by certain political parties" had been committed.
The commission's president, Honore Guie, was taken away in a sport-utility vehicle by soldiers. Shortly afterward, at the Interior Ministry, a mid-ranking electoral official, Daniel Bamba Cheik, said that the commission had been dissolved. He said that it had counted the ballots in "confusion" and that its conclusions were worthless. Mr. Cheik announced the junta's election results, which gave the general 53 percent of the votes, compared with 48 percent for Mr. Gbagbo. A couple of hours later, General Guei gave a short speech declaring himself the new president.
Complimenting Ivoirians for their "maturity and solidarity," General Guei said: "You have fulfilled your civic duty, the results of which have made this humble person the first president of the second Republic."
Source: New York Times
Monday, September 18, 2000
A former prime minister, Alassane Ouattara, returned to Ivory Coast today and said the ousting of President Henri Konan Bedie by the army on Friday was not a coup but a revolution to get rid of an ''outlaw regime.'' ''This is not a coup d'etat,'' he told reporters at Abidjan airport after stepping off a plane from Paris. ''This is a revolution supported by all the Ivorian people.'' He said he regretted the way power had changed hands, but added, ''We were in an outlaw state.'' Mr. Ouattara arrived with his wife, Dominique, and was greeted by supporters and journalists. About 200 more supporters outside the airport chanted ''A.D.O., president,'' using his initials. Mr. Ouattara left his job as deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund in July to take the leadership of the Rally of the Republicans Party and to prepare a challenge to Mr. Bedie in the presidential election scheduled for next October. Mr. Bedie claimed that Mr. Ouattara was actually from neighboring Burkina Faso, which would make him ineligible to run for president. A judge began investigating whether Mr. Ouattara had submitted forged documents to prove his nationality, and an arrest warrant was issued. Mr. Ouattara was out of the country at the time and chose to remain in France. An official from his party said that a court had ruled on Tuesday that there were no grounds to pursue the forgery allegation, and that the arrest warrant had been canceled. The military junta has invited the political parties to nominate potential ministers in a transitional government. Elections have been promised, but no timetable has been set. Mr. Ouattara, asked whether he might be a member of the interim government, said no, but he added, ''My wish is to serve my country through the transition.'' He said he would be a candidate in the presidential election. The junta's leader, Gen. Robert Guei, today continued a series of meetings to explain the coup, meeting religious leaders and urging them to rally round the transition. ''Mr. Bedie should not have taken the liberty of meddling in religious matters,'' said General Guei, who is a Roman Catholic. ''I was shocked, sometimes indignant to see that people wanted to use religion to divide the country.'' General Guei asked a Muslim leader who is close to Mr. Bedie to dissolve his own organization and join the mainstream National Islamic Council. The Muslim leader, Moustapha Diaby Koweit, had no immediate comment. The general has taken pains to woo Mr. Bedie's Baoule ethnic group and the Agni, who have dominated in power since the nation became independent in 1960. ''There are those who think that the Baoule ethnic group went too far,'' he said on Tuesday in the capital, Yamoussoukro, in the heart of the central Baoule region. ''It's not that at all. It was the behavior of one man.'' In Bamako, the capital of Mali, two rival Ivoirian delegations held an emergency meeting of West African foreign ministers to discuss the coup in Ivory Coast. One delegation represented the Ivoirian junta, which was led by Gen. Adboulaye Coulibaly; another represented Mr. Bedie and was led by his defense minister, Vincent Bandama N'Gatta. Mr. N'Gatta and Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan fled with Mr. Bedie to Togo under French protection after the coup.
Ivory Coast's military ruler, Gen. Robert Guei, said today that he had escaped an assassination attempt at his residence during the night but that two of his bodyguards had been killed. General Guei, who came to power after a coup last December, said a presidential election would go ahead as planned on Oct. 22. "Some young military people were more or less invited by certain people who are known to me to make an attempt on my life," he said at a news conference. Military sources said as many as 10 people from both sides had been killed. He declined to say who those "certain people" were, but colleagues of a political rival, former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara, said they feared that the military government would use the attack as an excuse for a crackdown on Mr. Ouattara.
Communications Minister Henri Cesar Sama said members of the presidential guard were involved in the attack. He said the operation to round up the attackers was continuing tonight. Until the December coup, the first since independence from France in 1960, Ivory Coast had been a rare haven of stability in a violent, volatile part of West Africa. The coup was preceded by a pay mutiny and months of ethnic tension, whipped up in part by President Henri Konan Bedie, who was trying to turn the country against Mr. Ouattara and was ousted in the coup.
Some in the military are known to be unhappy with General Guei's decision to run for president in October. At the time of the coup he had said that he had no interest in political power.
Source: New York Times
Communications Minister Henri Cesar Sama said members of the presidential guard were involved in the attack. He said the operation to round up the attackers was continuing tonight. Until the December coup, the first since independence from France in 1960, Ivory Coast had been a rare haven of stability in a violent, volatile part of West Africa. The coup was preceded by a pay mutiny and months of ethnic tension, whipped up in part by President Henri Konan Bedie, who was trying to turn the country against Mr. Ouattara and was ousted in the coup.
Some in the military are known to be unhappy with General Guei's decision to run for president in October. At the time of the coup he had said that he had no interest in political power.
Source: New York Times
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