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29 Nov 2011 20:01

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World: Ex-Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo in International Criminal Court custody

Gbagbo, who lost an election last year but only ceded power by force, is heading to The Hague as we speak, charged with crimes against humanity as a result of violence that broke out after that election. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 10:38

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World: Ivory Coast’s Ouattara has a mess on his hands in Abidjan

  • Until we can convince the population it is not a witch hunt, they won’t come forward. We’re working on it. But once the amnesty expires, we will let the law deal with anyone who doesn’t cooperate.
  • Ivory Coast leader Alassane Ouattara • Describing some of the troubles he faces with calming down the situation in Abidjan after the capture of Laurent Gbagbo yesterday. He needs to assure that those nervous after the street violence understand that there’s a period of amnesty for those who come forward, and that things will calm down after this point. In other words: Cool your jets. It’s a pretty rough stigma to live down, as Mamadou Senogo, a person in a French refugee camp notes: “I will be staying at the French army base camp until the whole city is secure. There are too many hotheads running around with guns outside.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Apr 2011 10:21

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World: Ouattara’s spokeswoman: How Gbagbo’s capture went down

  • There [was] heavy fighting involving French soldiers, the United Nations and our forces against Mr. Gbagbo’s forces. Once all heavy weapons were destroyed, Mr. Gbagbo was there and we arrested him.
  • Paris-based Alassane Ouattara spokeswoman Sogona Bamba-Arnault • Explaining how Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo was captured, after months of conflict over an election that didn’t go Gbagbo’s way. The conflict pushed the world’s largest cocoa producer in a direction towards civil war. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Apr 2011 12:17

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World: Human Rights Watch: Both sides commit abuses in Ivory Coast

  • The group wants Alassane Ouattara to investigate. With incredibly high stakes at play, the situation in the Ivory Coast certainly had the potential to get very bad very quickly, and that’s exactly what Human Rights Watch claims has happened. “While the international community has been focused on the political stalemate in Abidjan over the presidency,” said Human Rights Watch Africa director Daniel Bekele, “forces on both sides have committed numerous atrocities against civilians, their leaders showing little interest in reining them in.” On Alassane Ouattara’s side, the group claims supporters “summarily executed and raped perceived Gbagbo supporters in their homes.” On Laurent Gbagbo’s side, supporters reportedly retaliated by killing more than 100 civilians. In case you haven’t been watching this story, now might be the time to use your non-blind eye. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Apr 2011 15:23

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World: Ivory Coast standoff still going, Abidjan in utter disarray

  • Gbagbo still sequestered at his home: Yesterday saw a lot of conflicting reports of the surrender, or lack thereof, of Ivory Coast’s electorally-defeated strongman Laurent Gbagbo. The standoff between him and forces loyal to the elected leader, Alassane Ouattara (who’s got other problems, too — his own ranks were accused of committing atrocities, which he flatly denies) is still going on a day later, a disastrous prolonging of the conflict for the people of Abidjan, who have little food and water, and are in tremendous physical peril. The reports coming in today, sadly, are no less convoluted than they were yesterday.
  • Playing For time Yesterday’s reports that Gbagbo was negotiating an exit deal to ensure himself U.N. protection now look like pure posturing. France has said that the talks to secure his surrender fell apart, and it’s now reported he was likely just buying himself more time.
  • How it stands Alassane Ouattara’s forces are near Gbagbo’s home in Abidjan, and are still locked in a standoff. Gbagbo still has a core of loyal soldiers, as well as mortar and artillery capacity. The Ouattara forces pulled back, and combat is reportedly suspended for a few hours. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2011 15:31

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World: Conflicting reports suggest Gbagbo may soon be out

  • Not long for Laurent Gbagbo? Reports coming out of the Ivory Coast are somewhat convoluted at this moment — the machinations of these scenarios can involve a lot of back and forth between the sides involved, and as such it’s understandable that things can become murky. Reuters had reported that strongman Laurent Gbagbo signed a U.N. document ceding power and surrendering, but nearly an hour later posted a report from a U.N. official claiming his surrender is not official, and that he’s negotiating for protection. Perhaps the biggest takeaway, though, is what’s most important thing for the Ivory Coast; that there’s a visible endgame, and Laurent Gbagbo’s desperate grip on power could soon vanish. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Apr 2011 10:36

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World: French Prime Minister: Ivory Coast presidential crisis nearing end

  • As we speak we are speaking to two generals to negotiate President Gbagbo’s surrender.
  • French Prime Minister Francois Fillon • Explaining what’s currently happening in the Ivory Coast, after days of increasingly violent fighting between forces loyal to presidential stickler Laurent Gbagbo and forces who favored Alassane Ouattara, the man who won November’s election but was held from office by Gbagbo. Months later, the fighting got extremely violent, and the UN and France eventually got involved. Now, it appears, Gbagbo is close to surrendering the leadership he long fought to keep. “We are in a situation where everything could be resolved in the next few hours,” said French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Apr 2011 22:45

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World: Ivory Coast rebels within inches of victory?

  • then Yesterday, opposition forces in Ivory Coast, led by Alassane Ouattar, seized the region’s administrative capital. Their next destination? Abidjan, the commercial capital and home of Laurent Gbagbo, the ex-president who refuses to step down.
  • now Ouattar’s troops reached Abidjan, and once there, attacked both Gbagbo’s home and the presidential palace. There’s reportedly been heavy fighting non-stop since they arrived; some are describing this as Gbagbo’s “last stand.” source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Mar 2011 10:43

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World: Ivory Coast: Opposition takes administrative capital, Gbagbo’s forces “crumbling”

  • yes under the leadership of Alassane Ouattara, opposition forces in Ivory Coast now control the country’s administrative capital
  • “hours” resignation deadline given to Laurent Gbagbo, who has so far refused to step down as President, by Ouattara’s Prime Minister source
  • » Quick recap: Gbagbo lost November’s presidential elections, but has refused to cede power to Ouattara, the victor. The taking of the administrative capital, Yamoussoukro, has symbolic significance, as it was the birthplace of the area’s first President and ultra-popular reformer, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. It’s not a done-deal yet; Abidjan, the city from which the country’s government is actually run, is still controlled by Gbagbo forces, and will present a much more difficult challenge to the opposition.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2011 13:06

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World: Obama speaks out on Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo

  • He’s now using his thugs to try to stay in power and intimidate the opposition and the duly elected president.
  • President Barack Obama • On the continued grip on power by Laurent Gbagbo, the Ivory Coast strongman who was electorally defeated by Alassane Ouattara last November. As power-hungry, unscrupulous leaders are prone to do, Gbagbo didn’t relinquish power to Ouattara, instead orchestrating a campaign of intimidation and violence against the citizenry. Some 400 people have been killed as a result, and it’s estimated more than a million have been displaced, fleeing their homes and seeking peaceful refuge elsewhere. It’s nice to hear the President talk about this, because frankly, the people of the Ivory Coast have gotten short shrift with all the upheaval in the Middle East. He emphasized that a diplomatic effort with surrounding African nations is the crux of the U.S. effort to isolate and pressure Gbagbo out of power, downplaying military options. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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