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United Nations beefs up military presence in Cote d'Ivoire
by Joseph Ernest January 19, 2011
Newscast Media COTE D'IVOIRE -- Due to the political impasse between Laurent GbaGbo and Alassane Ouattara the United Nations Security Council has agreed to deploy additional 2,000 peacekeepers to Cote d'Ivoire, where GbaGbo has refused to relinquish power in the face of mounting international pressure. Ivory Coast has seen violence and increased tension since the disputed presidential election in November, where Alassane Ouattara, widely seen as the legitimate winner, should have replaced Laurent Gbagbo as head of the nation.
Wednesday's vote, by the 15-member Security Council, will bolster the UN's peacekeeping force to nearly 12,000 in the West African country; peacekeepers are to be deployed through June.
Swiss authorities on Wednesday were also moving to immediately freeze any assets belonging to Gbagbo, Swiss President and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said.
Gbagbo refuses to step down, retaining control of government buildings, state television and the security forces. He also holds a blockade around the Abidjan hotel where Ouattara is confined. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the peacekeepers on the ground face an "openly hostile security environment'' with threats from forces loyal to Gbagbo. The world body has reported more than 200 deaths in post-election violence in the African state.
GbaGbo has also rejected Kenya's Raila Odinga's effort to act as a mediator in order to resolve the current political crisis in Ivory Coast.
"Mr Odinga has failed in his mission and we are no longer prepared to receive him," Gbagbo's foreign minister Alcide Djedje told a news conference. "He was not willing to seek a durable solution.... He took the side of Mr. Ouattara."
Military chiefs of West African regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) met in Mali on Tuesday to discuss the planning of a possible military intervention to oust Gbagbo. ECOWAS hopes to consider all possible methods of engagement before resorting to the use of force. Add Comments>>
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