End nears for Ivory Coast leader
Source: Agencies |
April 6, 2011, Wednesday
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IVORY Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was negotiating the terms of his departure from power yesterday following a fierce assault by forces loyal to his presidential rival backed by United Nations and French helicopter airstrikes.
France said it expected a swift exit by Gbagbo, who had clung to power since refusing to concede he lost last November's presidential election to Alassane Ouattara, plunging the world's top cocoa-growing nation into renewed civil war. Gbagbo defied international pressure to give up the presidency, rejecting the results as fraudulent.
More than 1,500 people are reported to have died in the stand-off that has rekindled the country's 2002-3 civil war.
"We are on the brink of convincing him to leave power," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told parliament in Paris.
A Gbagbo spokesman said he was negotiating the terms of his departure based on the recognition of Ouattara as president. The spokesman said the negotiations covered security guarantees for Gbagbo and his relatives.
"If everything goes well, we will have a declaration soon," Ahoua Don Mello said.
Gbagbo was said to be in Abidjan, with some media reports saying he was in a bunker below his residence.
Call for cease-fire
Gbagbo's forces called for a cease-fire after being comprehensively outgunned in the end, and French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said the West African country's crisis could soon be over.
"We are in a situation where everything could be resolved in the next few hours," Longuet told a news conference.
The UN mission in the country said Gbagbo's army chiefs had asked their men to surrender their arms to UN forces and seek protection.
Over the past week, forces loyal to Ouattara launched a major assault on Gbagbo's strongholds in Abidjan, driving home their campaign to oust him.
The UN peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast, supported by the French military, targeted Gbagbo's heavy weapons capabilities on Monday with attack helicopters after civilians were killed in shelling.
Attacks centered on military bases in the city, but also on rocket launchers "very close" to Gbagbo's Cocody residence, UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said.
In the north of Abidjan, bullet-riddled bodies lay by the side of the main motorway near the largely pro-Gbagbo neighbourhood of Yopougon, evidence of recent fighting between Ouattara and Gbagbo forces.
The UN human rights office expressed concern over the killings of dozens of civilians in Abidjan, amid reports of heavy weapons used in populated areas.
France said it expected a swift exit by Gbagbo, who had clung to power since refusing to concede he lost last November's presidential election to Alassane Ouattara, plunging the world's top cocoa-growing nation into renewed civil war. Gbagbo defied international pressure to give up the presidency, rejecting the results as fraudulent.
More than 1,500 people are reported to have died in the stand-off that has rekindled the country's 2002-3 civil war.
"We are on the brink of convincing him to leave power," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told parliament in Paris.
A Gbagbo spokesman said he was negotiating the terms of his departure based on the recognition of Ouattara as president. The spokesman said the negotiations covered security guarantees for Gbagbo and his relatives.
"If everything goes well, we will have a declaration soon," Ahoua Don Mello said.
Gbagbo was said to be in Abidjan, with some media reports saying he was in a bunker below his residence.
Call for cease-fire
Gbagbo's forces called for a cease-fire after being comprehensively outgunned in the end, and French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said the West African country's crisis could soon be over.
"We are in a situation where everything could be resolved in the next few hours," Longuet told a news conference.
The UN mission in the country said Gbagbo's army chiefs had asked their men to surrender their arms to UN forces and seek protection.
Over the past week, forces loyal to Ouattara launched a major assault on Gbagbo's strongholds in Abidjan, driving home their campaign to oust him.
The UN peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast, supported by the French military, targeted Gbagbo's heavy weapons capabilities on Monday with attack helicopters after civilians were killed in shelling.
Attacks centered on military bases in the city, but also on rocket launchers "very close" to Gbagbo's Cocody residence, UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said.
In the north of Abidjan, bullet-riddled bodies lay by the side of the main motorway near the largely pro-Gbagbo neighbourhood of Yopougon, evidence of recent fighting between Ouattara and Gbagbo forces.
The UN human rights office expressed concern over the killings of dozens of civilians in Abidjan, amid reports of heavy weapons used in populated areas.
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