clip_image001 U.N. Mission Chief: 'War Is Over' in Ivory Coast
Published April 05, 2011 | FoxNews.com The United Nations mission chief in the Ivory Coast says the "war is over," and that all generals formerly loyal to strongman Laurent Gbagbo have defected, Choi Young-Jin told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. "The war is over," the South Korean told Al Jazeera. "Gbagbo's army has simply disappeared." "All the generals fighting for Gbagbo have defected," he said. "There is no army, there is no fighting." This comes as Gbagbo huddled in a bunker at his home and was exploring different options for his surrender, officials said Tuesday, as forces backing the country's democratically elected leader seized the residence. United Nations and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters on strongman Laurent Gbagbo's arsenal Monday after four months of political deadlock since the presidential election. Columns of foot soldiers allied with internationally recognized winner Alassane Ouattara also finally pierced the city limits of Abidjan. "We are in a situation where everything can, I hope, I think be resolved in a few hours time," French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet said at a news conference Tuesday. The international offensive that began Monday included air attacks on the presidential residence and three strategic military garrisons, marking an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to oust Gbagbo. With the help of the international forces, pro-0uattara fighters pushed their way to the heart of the city to reach Gbagbo's home. Gbagbo was declared the loser of elections in November but refused to cede power to Ouattara even as the world's largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war. "Gbagbo is exploring different options for turning himself in," Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi said Tuesday. "He has been in touch with different leaders involved in this crisis." A senior diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter also said that Gbagbo's closest adviser and longtime friend had abandoned him, leaving the bunker to seek refuge inside the French ambassador's home. However, a Paris-based lawyer who has represented Gbagbo's government said his foreign minister, Alcide Djedje, had gone to the French Embassy to protest Monday's attacks by French and U.N. forces. "He has absolutely not resigned and is currently being scandalously held against his will" in the embassy, attorney Lucie Bourthoumieux said in a statement. Postelection violence has left hundreds dead in Ivory Coast -- most of them Ouattara supporters -- and has forced up to 1 million people to flee. Ouattara had used his considerable international clout to financially and diplomatically suffocate Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces before launching a dramatic military assault last week. Ivory Coast gained independence from France in 1960, and some 20,000 French citizens still lived there when a brief civil war broke out in 2002. French troops were then tasked by the U.N. with monitoring a cease-fire and protecting foreign nationals in Ivory Coast, which was once an economic star and is still one of the only countries in the region with four-lane highways, skyscrapers, escalators and wine bars. Following four months of attempts to negotiate Gbagbo's departure, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed an especially strong resolution giving the 12,000-strong peacekeeping operation the right "to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence ... including to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population." The Associated Press and Newscore contributed to this report. <http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/05/presidential-home-ivory-coast-stron gman-seized-forces/> URL http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/05/presidential-home-ivory-coast-strong man-seized-forces/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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