ivory coast Archives - Page 3 of 3

February 9, 2011

Gbagbo Adviser: AU Investigation of Ivorian Crisis Welcomed

Peter Clottey, VOA

A special adviser to embattled Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo said the arrival of African Union (AU) experts to investigate and find ways to resolve the crisis shows, in his words, an indictment and failure of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to end the political impasse.

Ambassador Yao Gnamien, who is in New York to seek support for his administration, told VOA Mr. Gbagbo is gaining support among African leaders about finding solutions to the Ivorian crisis.

“The presence of the AU experts is very important for our country because, at the beginning, President Gbagbo was calling for this investigation, because the so-called international community sanctioned President Gbagbo without proving that he is guilty,” said Gnamien.

“The stay in Cote d’Ivoire of the (AU) experts will tell all the world what was going on in Cote d’Ivoire after the (November) election, and then we will see whether the president was guilty or not.”

His comments came after James Victor Gbeho, president of the ECOWAS commission, said South Africa is undermining efforts to resolve the Ivory Coast political crisis. Mr. Gbeho criticized South Africa’s decision to deploy a Navy frigate to Ivory Coast. He said such actions “can only complicate” the situation.

But, South African officials say the frigate is a support vessel with no military purpose, which could be used as a neutral site for negotiating.
South Africa is part of an AU mediation team given the task of resolving the Ivorian political impasse.

Gbeho accused South Africa of pushing the two sides to negotiate a solution because of its own interests instead of demanding that Mr. Gbagbo cede power.

President Gbagbo is refusing to cede power to rival, President-elect Alassane Ouattara, who most countries recognize as the winner of the November presidential election.

Gnamien said that the outcome of the investigation has to conform to the Ivorian constitution, which he said is the “supreme law of the land.”

“If the AU came to Cote d’Ivoire, it was because of the failure of the ECOWAS. ECOWAS failed to solve the problem. How can they sanction President Gbagbo without listening to him? They were accusing President Gbagbo because they were thinking that President Gbagbo has not been elected,” said Gnamien.

“Instead of saying that, they (ECOWAS) should have investigated first and, after the investigation, then they can make a sound decision. They didn’t do this. And what is now clear is that none of them has sent a message of congratulations to Prime Minister Ouattara.”

February 2, 2011February 3, 2011

Beyond Political Turmoil in Africa: We Are Blessed, Not Cursed

In the last couple of months, there hav been pockets of crises here and there on the African continent. From Ivory Coast to Sudan, and from Tunisia to Egypt, it has been tales of cacophony and woes. This seems worrisome in a continent blessed with abundant human and material resources. There is a tendency to regard our dear continent as cursed, given the enormity of turmoil in the land. But when viewed against the backdrop that there is no nation or continent which has not been through this phase of development in its historical evolution, we may be consoled that all is not lost.

I have read all sorts of comments on the happenings in Africa in recent times – from the cosmetic to the logical. But the funniest has been the one saying that what is happening is a sign of the end time. I consider this laughable as I see this more or less as a phase in our development. As much as one would have expected that by now Africa should have outgrown this stage, we must know that it is not what is going on that matters but how we handle it. We therefore need to tread on the side of caution, as violence cannot end violence. It will only escalate it.

In the face of the on-going adversity, one thing is obviously clear: the current generation of African leaders is bereft of ideas. The onus is now on us (the younger generation) to begin to look inwards. We must begin to light up our corners with bright ideas. After all, ideas, they say, rule the world. We must be guided by Stedman Graham’s advice that “people who let events and circumstances dictate their lives are living reactively. That means that they don’t act on life, they only react to it.” The only price we have to pay to prove to the world that Africa is blessed and not cursed is to be conscious of the fact that “leaders are not born, they are made. They are made just like anything else…through hard work” (Vince Lombardi)

January 18, 2011January 18, 2011

Côte d’Ivoire: Gbagbo Loyalists Open fire towards UN security patrol

18 January 2011 –Forces loyal to former president of Côte d’Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to step down despite his defeat in November’s elections, opened fire last night towards United Nations peacekeepers in charge of security for a top African Union (AU) emissary, according to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.

Deploring the repeated acts of aggression against its patrols, the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) reported today that its security forces stationed at the Pullman Hotel were waiting for the arrival of the AU Emissary, Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was escorted by a UNOCI patrol, when a group of young people from the Gbagbo camp encircled them.

“The armed elements, which were supporting them, opened fire in the direction of the UNOCI vehicles forcing the peacekeepers to respond by shooting in the air,” the mission said in a press statement.

It stressed that the version of events given by Ivorian state television, under Mr. Gbagbo’s control, was not based on fact.

“It was in fact part of an ongoing campaign whose objective is to incite hatred among President Gbagbo’s supporters against UNOCI,” it said in the statement, adding, “UNOCI reiterates its appeal for calm and serenity to ensure a favourable environment to find a solution to the current post-electoral crisis.”

The nearly 9,000-strong peacekeeping operation has been supporting efforts over the past seven years to reunify a country split by a civil war in 2002 into a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north.

November’s run-off election was meant to be a culminating point in this process; and the UN, the AU, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and many countries recognized opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as the clear victor. But Mr. Gbagbo rejected the outcome of the poll, refused to step down and demanded UNOCI’s withdrawal – which the UN has rejected.

The resulting turmoil has displaced tens of thousands of people, mainly in the west of the country where the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is strengthening its presence to cope with the crisis.

UNHCR teams have been deployed in the towns of Man and Danané to register internally displaced people (IDPs) and monitor their protection needs. More than 18,000 people are believed to be in this area.

The UN refugee agency “is particularly concerned about conditions at the Catholic mission in the town of Duékoué, where some 13,000 people have sought shelter,” the agency said in a statement today. “The church compound there does not have the sanitation facilities to cope with the numbers, garbage is accumulating, and the risks of disease are growing.”

Meanwhile in eastern Liberia, where some 30,000 refugees have fled from Côte d’Ivoire, work is under way on the construction of a new camp in the town of Bahn but the difficult jungle conditions have made this slower going than anticipated, UNHCR reported. Two bulldozers have been brought in from Sierra Leone to speed up the clearing of land, which until now has been done by hand. UNHCR estimates that some 600 Ivorians are crossing the border into Liberia each day.

In Geneva, humanitarian agencies with a presence in West Africa today launched a $32.7 million regional emergency plan in order to be prepared for humanitarian needs that could arise due to Côte d’Ivoire’s political crisis. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that two millions Ivorians – including 100,000 refugees and 450,000 IDPs – could be affected if a major humanitarian crisis develops.

The six-month appeal aims to allow UN agencies and non-governmental organizations to secure funds that would be used to provide a timely and effective humanitarian aid in Côte d’Ivoire and in the neighbouring countries of Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana in vital sectors. The aid will include support for protection, health, water and sanitation, education, food and nutrition. The funds will also help assist those already affected by the ongoing crisis.

In a statement today, OCHA said that the current crisis is already affecting lives and livelihoods of both the displaced and host communities. Displaced children are unable to attend school and families have lost their sources of income. Humanitarian aid workers also estimate that as many as 420,000 nationals of neighboring countries currently living in Côte d’Ivoire could return to their countries of origin and require assistance, notably in transit camps, should the situation further deteriorate.

January 11, 2011

Ivory Coast: Five Die in Political Clashes

Clashes in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital on Tuesday killed at least five people during the political impasse about who will lead the country.

Witnesses say violence broke out in the city of Abidjan between security forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo and supporters of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of a presidential poll in November.

The clashes took place in a pro-Ouattara neighborhood called Abobo, where a militant youth group that backs the incumbent president had planned to meet on Tuesday.

Mr. Gbagbo, who continues to control the military, refuses to give up power despite intense international pressure to do so.

Mr. Ouattara remains holed up in an Abidjan hotel protected by U.N. peacekeepers.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga is expected to return to Ivory Coast this week in an effort to mediate an end to the impasse. Mr. Odinga serves as the African Union’s mediator in the country.

Separately, the U.N. refugee agency says 25,000 Ivorians have fled to Liberia because they fear the political crisis will lead to widespread violence.

(VOA)

December 13, 2010December 14, 2010

Gbagbo; Another ugly face for Africa

E. Ablorh-Odjidja (pubhisher, ghana.com)

There was a presidential election in Cote d’Ivoire in December 2010, as required by the peace agreement after the civil war of 2002/2003. The arrangement allowed the then incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to stretch his hold on power.

He has been in power for ten years and just lost the 2010 presidential election to his rival, Mr. Alassane Ouattara.

Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, however, refuses to leave office, citing a supposed vote rigging by his rival in the northern half of the country as his reason.

The UN has declared Gbagbo the loser after the vote count. Major European countries have backed the UN’s decision.

ECOWAS, the West African regional economic group, has given the nod to Gbagbo’s rival Ouattara as the winner and president elect.

At a meeting held in Abuja on December 7, ECOWAS members went a step further to suspend Cote d’Ivoire from the group because of Gbagbo’s refusal to step down.

The United States and the European Union are considering other sanctions should Gbagbo continue his grip on the presidency.

So far, the situation looks ominous with Mr. Gbagbo’s refusal to back down. Not surprising, he is being encouraged by none other than Russia, the old nemesis of the West in the cold war days.

The BBC quotes diplomats who say “Russia is blocking a Security Council statement endorsing Ivory Coast opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara as president” because Russia claims the UN has no mandate on the issue, notwithstanding the fact that the Russians are aware of the peace agreement that gave the UN the right to supervise affairs in the Ivory Coast election.

Gbagbo knows that Russia’s stance at the UN can easily re-ignite the Ivorian conflict. With America supporting President-elect Ouattara, chances are that the West African region may erupt into a super-power rivalry that will be costly. But because of personal ambition, Gbagbo is blind to this possible outcome.

Why Russia doesn’t understand the UN position on the matter should not be a mystery. Rather, it should be understood as a classy case of mischief making at the expense of the Cote d’Ivoire and West Africa.

This same Russia that hamstrung the US in the UN on matters leading to the Iraq war is at it again; this time, in another part of the world; all in the name of ideological and super-power struggle.

So the Civil War, as part of Cote d’Ivoire’s history, may rear its ugly head again. But not to blame the Russians, there is no reason why they should love Africa, much less Cote d’Ivoire.

The blame must go to Gbagbo who should know better to help the Cote d’Ivoire come out of this chaotic situation.

For the Russians this much can be said: the messier the situations in Cote d’Ivoire, the better the chances are to turn her into a client state.

But the same cannot be said for ex- President Laurent Gbagbo, a citizen of Cote d’Ivoire and the man with the insatiable ambition.

Ten years in office as president is a lot for most, except leaders in the Third World. And given the odds, the remainder of Gbagbo’s Ivorian generation, within that same time frame, can never constitutionally arise to the presidency because he is in power.

How does one account for the loss of potential leaders if one were to allow an incompetent like Gbagbo to straddle his rule to two or more generations?

Amazing and cruel as it is, the above is lost on Gbagbo. For his personal ambition, the whole of Cote d’Ivoire and generations of citizens after him may likely come to ruin.

Instead of looking at the looming danger ahead, Gbagbo has insolently named himself the president of Cote d’Ivoire even though he lost the 2010 election.

October 12, 2010January 21, 2011

Not so Chocolate Flavor

A report released by the The Payson Center for International Development, Tulane University will give you a sour taste as you munch your chocolate. The report critized the cocoa industry for the indiscriminate use of child labor in various stages of the supply chain. The Cote d’Ivoire was particularly slammed the for child labor. The report is titled “Oversight of Public and Private Initiatives to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor in the Cocoa Sector in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana”

Please use the comment section to suggest how the West can assist in curbing this practice of child labor so that we can ensure all children of school-going age stay in school. One solution is to the let the food and drug administration (FDA) require chocolate labeling as we have for drugs. Chocolate manufacturers should be required to certify that the raw material the use is child-labor free as passing an inspection process similar to drugs go through. Products that do not pass this will have a black box warning about child labor in the product