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02 Jan 2011 12:15

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World: Did mob attack on Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara fizzle out?

  • Everything is calm at the hotel, we’re very serene.
  • Alassane Ouattara spokesperson Patrick Achi • Expressing relief that the planned mob attack of the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, where the Ivory Coast’s should-be leader is staying, seems to have fizzled out. We’re glad it did too, because it could’ve led to fresh civil war in the country. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen. In other news, current leader Laurent Gbagbo unsurprisingly ignored a deadline to quit on New Year’s Eve. source

30 Dec 2010 13:35

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World: Ivory Coast could celebrate new year by falling further into abyss

  • A few things happen on January 1st, guys. First of all, it’s the new year, which is always sort of a big deal. Secondly, it’s the site’s second anniversary, which means we expect cake, but probably won’t get it because nobody cares enough about this site to make a cake. But third, and most importantly, some really crazy stuff could go down in the Ivory Coast. See, supporters of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara are holed up in the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, but supporters of Laurent Gbagbo are talking about plans to “liberate” the hotel on the first of the year, leading the UN’s new envoy to the country to say things like “on the brink of genocide.” This could be extremely bad, and we’d rather have a crappy anniversary that everyone ignores than to see a country like the Ivory Coast, which has been through hell and civil war, fall into that trap again thanks to the current unrest being caused by Gbagbo’s controversial hold on power. source

28 Dec 2010 20:52

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World: Not even peer pressure enough to get Laurent Gbagbo to resign

See this guy in the middle here? Well, he (along with two other African leaders) went to the Ivory Coast today to see if he could get Laurent Gbagbo to resign. Not so much. source

28 Dec 2010 09:39

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World: The Ivory Coast nearly couped yesterday – in Paris, that is

These dudes are blocking off the Ivory Coast’s French embassy. Why? Supporters of should-be-winner Alassane Ouattara took it over for a bit yesterday. Uh-oh. source

25 Dec 2010 21:59

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World: Ivory Coast’s presidential instability leading to mass exodus

  • 14,000 people headed for Liberia, stat source
  • » To emphasize: This is not a trip one takes lightly. The people evacuating the country have been walking for hours and days to reach a river dividing the two countries. At that point, they have to make an arduous journey on a barge to reach Liberia. The level of work they’re putting in to leave the country suggests that something bad’s about to go down.

24 Dec 2010 10:11

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World: Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo still has power, but not money

  • power Ivory Coast spoil-sport Laurent Gbagbo has the military under his finger and as a result has been able to use them to hold onto power even in the wake of heavy international criticism.
  • money Unfortunately for him, The Central Bank of West African States says challenger Alassane Ouattara is president, which means he controls the government’s money. This is very bad for Gbagbo. source

21 Dec 2010 21:23

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World: Ivory Coast election situation raises danger of fresh civil war

  • bad The situation in the Ivory Coast, roughed up over a disputed election, has been getting worse by the day. And the guy who lost, Laurent Gbagbo, went on television denying he lost – again. On the plus side, he says that he’s willing to negotiate about this.
  • worse Just to worry the crap out of you guys a little, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that forces loyal to Gbagbo have been blocking supplies from getting to UN security forces. He suggested there may be a “real risk” of civil war breaking out in the country. source
 

19 Dec 2010 11:22

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World: Ivory Coast election: No, this situation still hasn’t been resolved

  • problem After the Ivory Coast’s recent election, two dudes are fighting for leadership of the country – which has led to violent protests and instability over the last few weeks.
  • cause Laurent Gbagbo doesn’t want to surrender his long-held power, but the international community recognizes Alassane Ouattara as the actual winner of the election.
  • solution Gbagbo had a great way of fixing this – he wanted to kick 10,000 UN peacekeepers out of the country. They said no. Great. This should escalate quickly. source

04 Dec 2010 13:42

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World: Cluster#(&! of the day: The Ivory Coast now has two presidents

  • One of these guys is the president of the Ivory Coast. Both of them took an oath today claiming they were the president. The guy on the left, Laurent Gbagbo, lost but doesn’t want to concede power, so the country’s Constitutional Council threw out hundreds of thousands of votes yesterday. Alassane Ouattara, the guy on the right, took a separate oath today. Don’t know about you guys, but we just love the smell of disenfranchisement in the morning. source