Cote d’Ivoire Roundup Part 2

Last week’s roundup is here, and it includes background on the current crisis in Cote d’Ivoire.

News reports:

Reuters: President Laurent Gbagbo “has dismissed talk of a possible resumption of war, and said rival factions should negotiate a solution to a crisis provoked by a row over who won elections on November 28.”
IRIN: “With an official curfew stretching into a second week, Ivoirians in the economic capital Abidjan are contending with income loss and daily hardships, as well as uncertainty.” IRIN also has a timeline of events in Cote d’Ivoire.
New York Times: “An ominous warning, unheard since the aftermath of the previous civil war six years ago, is being whispered on the streets: the government death squads are back.”

International reactions:

AU: The African Union has suspended Cote d’Ivoire, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has as well.
US: “The United States said Friday it was looking for more ways to pressure Ivory Coast’s incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo into handing power over to his election rival Alassane Ouattara.” President Obama’s statement here. A report on Secretary Clinton’s remarks here. The US has also threatened sanctions.
UN: “Laurent Gbagbo had no grounds to dispute the results of the Cote d’Ivoire presidential election that gave Alassane Ouattara victory, the United Nations has said after reviewing the vote.” As of Wednesday, Russia was blocking a Security Council statement on Cote d’Ivoire’s elections: “Russia has expressed concern that by declaring Mr Ouattara the winner of last month’s disputed election the UN is exceeding its mandate.” The Security Council backed Outtara on Thursday, however.
UNHCR: “The UN refugee agency said Friday it was closely following the post-electoral crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, which has led some 2,000 Ivorians, mostly women and children, to seek safety in neighbouring Liberia and Guinea.”

Blogs/Opinion:

Matthew Tostevin (Reuters Africa Blog): “Ivory Coast Puts African Credibility on the Line.”
VOA Editorial: “After a decade of waiting and with strong U.S. support, the country has an opportunity to move forward along a democratic path. Responsibility for allowing the democratic process to unfold peacefully and openly falls squarely on the shoulders of Cote d’Ivoire’s leaders.”
G. Pascal Zachary (Christian Science Monitor): “The nation-state of Ivory Coast must move past the hollow calculus of counting votes. In the end, the imperatives of political transition – and national healing – demand that Ouattara get his turn as president.”
Caroline Fourest (Le Monde, French): “Is it neocolonialist to wish that the choice of the Ivoirian people might be respected?”
Salisu Suleiman (234 Next, Nigeria): “The lesson from Cote d’Ivoire must be clear: the personal ambitions of politicians should not accentuate ethnic and regional divisions in Nigeria’s political square.”

I leave you with a video from France24:

Feel free to treat this as an open thread.

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