Nicolas Sarkozy has decided on Sunday evening April 3 to "reunification without delay of all French citizens in Abidjan to ensure their protection," the Elysee Palace announced in a statement. The president took this decision during a two-hour meeting Sunday afternoon with Defense Minister Gerard Longuet, the Chief of Defence Staff Edouard Guillaud, the Cooperation Minister Henry Raincourt and heads of the Prime Minister and the chief diplomat, in a context of strong criticism of the camp Gbagbo against the French force in Ivory Coast.
La Licorne, who took control Sunday morning of the Abidjan International Airport in coordination with the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), was charged Sunday afternoon by the outgoing side of the Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo of being an "occupying army". "We believe that this force acts in Ivory Coast as an occupying army out of any mandate, because the UN mandate does not give authority to occupy the airport Unicorn of a sovereign state," Alain Toussaint said at a news conference in Paris.
The rebellion is a "coalition of mercenaries and European and American soldiers [who] are supported by logistics, intelligence Unicorn," said Gbagbo's adviser. "It was the French army at the service of rebellion, (...) the French army became an auxiliary force of the rebellion," he repeated.
"We thought we had to deal with a rebellion Ouattara (...) really Côte d'Ivoire is engaged in a war against the French army. We want to challenge the French and international opinion about the actions of the State French to be responsible, guilty of civil war, "he added. For its part, the Ivorian state television (RTI) controlled by the Gbagbo camp began Sunday broadcast of violent messages against France.
"The Rwandan genocide is being prepared in Côte d'Ivoire by men deSarkozy. Ivorian Ivorians go out en masse and occupy the streets," launched a ticker. "The French army occupied the airport Felix Houphouet-Boigny, we are in danger," said another banner. These messages aroused great concern among the French expatriate community.
"France is specifically cited. So it may be unpopular course," testified a French woman living in Abidjan on France Info radio on Sunday night. "This puts us us the French community in danger (...) We can not know how it will turn out, because there is exacerbation of nationalism." Following the meeting of two at the Elysee, President Nicolas Sarkozy has decided on Sunday, "the group without delay of all French citizens in Abidjan to ensure their protection." Their eventual repatriation is a "question and will be resolved in the coming hours," said Gerard Longuet.
"We will not expose the French as hostages or as indirect victims of a confrontation between the forces" of Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, said the minister. The takeover of the airport on Sunday morning was intended primarily to allow short-term resumption of commercial flights and the possible departure of foreigners: 1 650 expatriates, including about 800 French, came together in the camp of the Unicorn, for get immune to the violence and looting.
These last hours 167 of them were able to leave Abidjan for the Senegalese capital Dakar, via the Togolese capital of Lomé. "77 mostly French, have left at night and 90 [Sunday] at the beginning of the afternoon. This is not evacuation but opportunities to leave. Commercial flights have resumed, so these are special flights, "said the commander of the Unicorn Frederick Daguillon.
During a lightning offensive this week, the forces of Alassane Ouattara, President recognized by the international community, took control of virtually all countries, except in Abidjan strongholds loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, leader of the State incumbent who refuses to leave power. The final assault against the palace and the presidential residence has not yet occurred.
Only a few sporadic heavy weapons fire were heard since Saturday evening, including the Plateau, the heart of power, housing the palace. Isolated diplomatically, economically strangled, militarily weaker than ever, Laurent Gbagbo, in power since 2000, holds, despite the blows. Folded on the symbols of power - Palace, residence, state television RTI - he quickly demonstrated that he did not resign or take the path of exile.
Saturday night, RTI has aired footage showing him smiling and chatting with relatives. All day, the channel had broadcast calls to mobilize the military to return to rallying points, civilians form a "human shield" around the residence of the president. In the evening, RTI has shown hundreds of people, including women and youth, apparently gathered around the presidential residence, chanting: "respect the authority of Gbagbo." "We are doing this barbaric aggression, we are pushing them," assured the cameras Dogou Alain, his minister of defense.
But if the camp Gbagbo book an intense psychological warfare via the RTI, the balance of power is always to the benefit of the troops of Alassane Ouattara, whose march on Abidjan, however, is marred by serious allegations of massacres of civilians. Sunday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on President-elect to take action against those who participated in the massacre of 800 people in western countries.
Nicolas Sarkozy held talks Sunday on three occasions with the Ivorian president elected Alassane Ouattara. He also met with Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon to call for the full implementation of Resolution 1975 of the Security Council mandates of UNOCI protect civilians "added the president in a statement. 
La Licorne, who took control Sunday morning of the Abidjan International Airport in coordination with the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), was charged Sunday afternoon by the outgoing side of the Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo of being an "occupying army". "We believe that this force acts in Ivory Coast as an occupying army out of any mandate, because the UN mandate does not give authority to occupy the airport Unicorn of a sovereign state," Alain Toussaint said at a news conference in Paris.
The rebellion is a "coalition of mercenaries and European and American soldiers [who] are supported by logistics, intelligence Unicorn," said Gbagbo's adviser. "It was the French army at the service of rebellion, (...) the French army became an auxiliary force of the rebellion," he repeated.
"We thought we had to deal with a rebellion Ouattara (...) really Côte d'Ivoire is engaged in a war against the French army. We want to challenge the French and international opinion about the actions of the State French to be responsible, guilty of civil war, "he added. For its part, the Ivorian state television (RTI) controlled by the Gbagbo camp began Sunday broadcast of violent messages against France.
"The Rwandan genocide is being prepared in Côte d'Ivoire by men deSarkozy. Ivorian Ivorians go out en masse and occupy the streets," launched a ticker. "The French army occupied the airport Felix Houphouet-Boigny, we are in danger," said another banner. These messages aroused great concern among the French expatriate community.
"France is specifically cited. So it may be unpopular course," testified a French woman living in Abidjan on France Info radio on Sunday night. "This puts us us the French community in danger (...) We can not know how it will turn out, because there is exacerbation of nationalism." Following the meeting of two at the Elysee, President Nicolas Sarkozy has decided on Sunday, "the group without delay of all French citizens in Abidjan to ensure their protection." Their eventual repatriation is a "question and will be resolved in the coming hours," said Gerard Longuet.
"We will not expose the French as hostages or as indirect victims of a confrontation between the forces" of Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, said the minister. The takeover of the airport on Sunday morning was intended primarily to allow short-term resumption of commercial flights and the possible departure of foreigners: 1 650 expatriates, including about 800 French, came together in the camp of the Unicorn, for get immune to the violence and looting.
These last hours 167 of them were able to leave Abidjan for the Senegalese capital Dakar, via the Togolese capital of Lomé. "77 mostly French, have left at night and 90 [Sunday] at the beginning of the afternoon. This is not evacuation but opportunities to leave. Commercial flights have resumed, so these are special flights, "said the commander of the Unicorn Frederick Daguillon.
During a lightning offensive this week, the forces of Alassane Ouattara, President recognized by the international community, took control of virtually all countries, except in Abidjan strongholds loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, leader of the State incumbent who refuses to leave power. The final assault against the palace and the presidential residence has not yet occurred.
Only a few sporadic heavy weapons fire were heard since Saturday evening, including the Plateau, the heart of power, housing the palace. Isolated diplomatically, economically strangled, militarily weaker than ever, Laurent Gbagbo, in power since 2000, holds, despite the blows. Folded on the symbols of power - Palace, residence, state television RTI - he quickly demonstrated that he did not resign or take the path of exile.
Saturday night, RTI has aired footage showing him smiling and chatting with relatives. All day, the channel had broadcast calls to mobilize the military to return to rallying points, civilians form a "human shield" around the residence of the president. In the evening, RTI has shown hundreds of people, including women and youth, apparently gathered around the presidential residence, chanting: "respect the authority of Gbagbo." "We are doing this barbaric aggression, we are pushing them," assured the cameras Dogou Alain, his minister of defense.
But if the camp Gbagbo book an intense psychological warfare via the RTI, the balance of power is always to the benefit of the troops of Alassane Ouattara, whose march on Abidjan, however, is marred by serious allegations of massacres of civilians. Sunday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on President-elect to take action against those who participated in the massacre of 800 people in western countries.
Nicolas Sarkozy held talks Sunday on three occasions with the Ivorian president elected Alassane Ouattara. He also met with Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon to call for the full implementation of Resolution 1975 of the Security Council mandates of UNOCI protect civilians "added the president in a statement.
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