Monday, March 28, 2011

Heavy fighting in western Ivory Coast

The rapid deterioration of the crisis in Ivory Coast and the risks of expansion into neighboring countries such as Liberia have alerted the European Union, fearing a repetition of tragedies similar to the Great Lakes region with conflicts such as those Rwanda and Congo. Today, the country's bloody election dispute has reached Ivorian western city of Duékoué, located in the cocoa producing area, where they have emerged strong clashes between forces loyal to the outgoing leader Laurent Gbagbo and those of his rival Alassane Ouattara.

Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (Frei), faithful to Ouattara, internationally recognized as the winner of last November's elections, have said they have taken the city. The military spokesman of Frei, Mara Lacina, stated that "since early in the morning, Frei fighters control the entire city," the sixth to rob the militias and mercenaries of President Laurent Gbagbo.

However, the forces of President still have only confirmed the fighting, but but have said they were still control at least part of the city. Several independent witnesses have confirmed that the clash between them were continuing. "Our men have been fighting since about 2.00 am this morning against the rebels who tried to take the city.

Control part and they control the other, "said Yao Yao, chief operating officer of the militia of the Front for the Liberation of the Great West Gbagbo." We are going through your head what happened in (regions of) the Great Lakes Kivu, has said a senior European diplomat, who believes that although the situation in Ivory Coast is different, share many of the elements that characterized According to the same source, calls to hatred and violence the African country "remember to Rwanda" and close ties with neighboring countries such as Liberia make "all the elements are there for a spillover of the conflict.

Duékoué, Duékoué priority is a key point on the way to Liberia and Guinea, and to the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, San Pedro and the second largest port in the country and first in the world in export of cocoa. It is also an important city because it has remained under the control of Gbagbo since the civil war of 2002 .'s offensive forces loyal to Ouattara in the West lasted almost a month.

After all this time, Frei Duékoué considered a priority "for being a major transit center of pro-Gbagbo Liberian mercenaries." The fighting erupted after Gbagbo's refusal to step down after learning the results of the second round of the Ivorian presidential election on 28th November, in which the international community recognizes Ouattara as a winner, something the current president refuses to accept.

This means that in Europe you see the Ivorian conflict differently from those of Rwanda or the Congo and the international community and African countries clearly support one of the parties to the Ivorian conflict, the one headed by Ouattara. "The election result was clear to one hundred percent," said the source, who also recalled that the EU has imposed sanctions against the regime of Laurent Gbagbo.

European countries also support the draft resolution submitted by France and Nigeria on the Security Council to strengthen UN pressure on Gbagbo and to prohibit the use of heavy weapons in the area of Abidjan, following reports of attacks civilians. Concern in Brussels Brussels is particularly concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ivory Coast and believes that a major crisis is brewing.

According to data from several international organizations, up to a million people have been displaced by the conflict, mostly to other parts of the country and about 100,000 to overseas, especially to neighboring Liberia. In addition, growing cases of violence, begins to have problems accessing food and has seen an increase of cholera, attributed to problems in the health sector.

For now, the European Commission has already approved a total of EUR 30 million to provide humanitarian assistance and calls attention to the difficulties that international organizations are working in the country. In particular, warns about the status of United Nations and its agencies in the country and that, in the eyes of part of the population neutrality has lost the backing of the Security Council to Ouattara.

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