Thursday, April 7, 2011

Ouattara's troops fail to take the bunker Gbagbo

.- The president of the Ivorian forces acknowledged by the international community, Alassane Ouattara, unable to make on Wednesday in Abidjan is holed the bunker where the outgoing president, Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to surrender despite the collapse of his regime. When the attack began in the morning, the mood was optimistic, but at 12H00 (local and GMT), stopped the heavy gunfire near the presidential palace and residence.

"The Republican Forces Ouattara reached 150 meters from the gates of Gbagbo's residence but did not enter," he added. They had to "retire", said a neighbor of the district late in the afternoon. In the morning, the Japanese ambassador's residence in Abidjan was attacked by "mercenaries" who fired rockets and cannon fire, himself said Yoshifumi Okamura, who also noted the disappearance of four local staff members at night, force helicopters Licorne French carried out an operation to rescue the Japanese Ambassador in the same sector as the outgoing president's residence.

Yoshifumi Okamura Japanese ambassador and his staff are safe and security in the country (French military) from Port-Bouet, south of Abidjan, the French Embassy said in a statement. Versus "heavy fire from allied forces to Gbagbo, located in and around the presidential residential" and "primarily aimed" at the nearby residence of French ambassador, the French force made "response helicopter shots," the statement said .

These attacks came a day after intense but fruitless negotiations in which Gbagbo refused to resign despite strong pressure. "The negotiations that took place yesterday (Tuesday) for hours between the environment Laurent Gbagbo and the Ivorian authorities failed due to the intransigence of Laurent Gbagbo," said French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe.

Foreign journalists and diplomats from Japan, Israel and India sought help from the United States on Wednesday to escape a neighborhood under siege of the capital of Ivory Coast, said a U.S. official. In New York, Nick Birnback, spokesman for handling operations of UN peacekeeping said that "negotiations continue, the UN offered its good offices as much as possible." "I'm not a kamikaze, love life," said Gbagbo on Tuesday to a French journalist.

"My voice is the voice of a martyr, do not seek death but death comes, will come." On several occasions, Ouattara told his troops to ensure "physical integrity" of its rival. The assault on pro fighters Ouattara is an attempt to assassinate President Gbagbo, believed their government spokesman, Ahoua Don Mello, who accused the French Licorne forces have been "an air and ground support." "Neither the UNOCI and Licorne force involved in the fighting taking place outside the framework of resolution 1975" in the UN which calls for the neutralization of heavy weapons, said Alain Juppe.

For his part, French Defence Minister, Gerard Longuet, said that France would not intervene if asked to remove Ouattara Gbagbo of the bunker where it is entrenched. "France can intervene at the request of the United Nations. But we do not obey any political force in Ivory Coast," he said.

Since the presidential election on November 28 that engulfed one of the richest countries in West Africa in civil war, Laurent Gbagbo never recognized the victory of Alassane Ouattara, after a polling station which was guaranteed by the UN. His regime collapsed, its military leaders called for a cease-fire, attacks on UN and France destroyed much of their heavy weapons, many relatives deserted, but it has stubbornly refused to sign his resignation.

In addition to the residence and palace, the last supporters of Gbagbo controlling the Agban military camp, the largest in the country, near which strong detonations were heard, according to a journalist. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo, announced his party would launch an investigation into "massacres committed in a systematic or widespread" in which mostly blamed troops Ouattara.

In Abidjan, the traumatized residents huddled in their homes. In some neighborhoods, almost deserted streets were free to plunder, water and electricity were cut off and food supplies dwindled.

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