- 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