UN forces exchange fire with Ivory Coast protesters
The Associated Press
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2006
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — surrendered and called for U.N. sanctions
against Ivory Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than
three year conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence in
a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003 civil
war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
U.N. peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging a military compound in
Ivory Coast on Wednesday, then evacuated all staff from the area as the
situation in the civil war-divided nation worsened.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a key regional mediator, was flying to
Ivory Coast Wednesday for unscheduled talks with Ivory Coast President Laurent
Gbagbo, whom rebels accuse of orchestrating three days of unrest to undermine a
new transitional government.
In Paris, the French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Henri Bentegeat — who has
peacekeepers in the former colony — called for U.N. sanctions against Ivory
Coast, saying both sides appear unwilling to resolve the more than three year
conflict.
Bangladeshi troops in the government-held town of Guiglo exchanged fire with
attackers trying to enter their compound before evacuating all U.N. employees
from the city, U.N. military observer Capt. Gilles Combarieu said.
''They had to defend themselves,'' he said, adding that 200 to 300 U.N.
peacekeepers and staff were headed north toward a more heavily guarded buffer
zone separating government and rebel fighters. U.N. force spokeswoman Margherita
Amodeo said four people were killed in the gun fight, adding they were not U.N.
staff.
A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said two dead bodies with bullet wounds lay
at the morgue and there were reports of three more corpses in Guiglo's streets.
Ten others had been treated for gunshot wounds, the doctor said on condition of
anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Residents reached
by telephone in Guiglo, near the Liberia border, reported rioters looting
humanitarian organizations' offices.
Protests continued in the government-held south as Gbagbo supporters blocked
streets with burning tires and stopped vehicles on the road to the international
airport.
A pro-Gbagbo student leader, Serge Koffi, appeared on state television, reading
a statement saying that the broadcaster had been ''liberated.''
Demonstrators have during past crises seized the television broadcaster — which
is state funded but run by a neutral party under peace accords.
The protests erupted Monday after a U.N.-backed international mediation group
recommended on that parliament's expired mandate not be renewed. Gbagbo is
leading a one-year government of national unity that has diminished his
executive powers.
The parliament, filled with his supporters, is viewed as Gbagbo's last bastion
of power and the decision angered youth activists and the president's backers
who sent their followers into streets. The U.N. has so far bore the brunt of the
protesters' ire.
Busineses shut down across Abidjan amid fears of a return to all-out violence
in a country divided between government and rebel control after a 2002-2003
civil war.
There were no reports of strife from the rebel-held north, where insurgent
leaders accused Gbagbo of orchestrating the protests to undermine a new
transitional government.
''It's an insurrection against the transitional government organized by Gbagbo
and (his political party) to bring power back into their hands,'' said Sidiki
Konate, a rebel spokesman. Officials at the presidency couldn't be reached for
comment.
On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at
protesters trying to breach the security walls of the world body's headquarters
in Ivory Coast.
In the western port city of San Pedro, protesters hurled firebombs into a U.N.
office, though no injuries were reported. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
condemned the violence, saying it threatened the nation's fragile peace. Gbagbo
canceled planned October elections, blaming the rebels who control the north.
Afterward, the U.N. and the African Union endorsed a one-year extension of
Gbagbo's five-year mandate, despiet rebels and opposition fierce objections. A
new prime minister, Charles Konan Banny, was chosen by the warring sides to
shepherd the country toward elections within a year. He named a new 32-member
national-unity government last month composed of rebel, opposition party and
ruling party ministers.
On Tuesday, Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front said it was withdrawing from
the peace process and would no longer cooperate with Banny's government. It also
demanded U.N. forces leave.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/18/africa/web.0118ivory.php
