普世价值-茉莉花革命 Universal Value-Jasmin Revolution: Pro-Ouattara forces seize San Pedro threaten Abidjan

2011年3月31日星期四

Pro-Ouattara forces seize San Pedro threaten Abidjan

Members of Pro-Ouattara forces on Wednesday in Duékoué, in western Côte d'Ivoire

AFP

Supporters of Alassane Ouattara on Thursday have taken control of Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa-exporting port, San Pedro, and threatened to seize control of main city, Abidjan, unless Laurent Gbagbo drops his bid to hang onto the country’s presidency.

"Gbagbo has only a few hours to leave, otherwise we will march on Abidjan and it will become a lot more complicated for him,” Ouattara's prime minister Guillaume Soro was told RFI’s sister TV station France24 on Wednesday evening after his forces had captured the political capital, Yamoussoukro.

Shooting could be hear in Abidjan’s northern suburbs Thursday and residents have taken shelter in their homes.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously agreed sanctions against Gbagbo. Ouattara has been recognised as the winner of last year’s election by the African Union, West Africa’s Ecowas regional body and many countries.

Security Council 1975 slapped a travel ban and asset freeze on Gbagbo, his wife Simone and three of his closest allies.
It also declared that attacks on civilians could lead to prosecution for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.
But a reference to “the need to seize heavy weapons” was watered down to an instruction to the UN force, Unoci, to “prevent” their use, at the insistence of China, India, South Africa and Brazil.
The UN force "should not become a party to the Ivorian political stalemate. The Unoci should also not get involved in a civil war," warned India's ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri.

Unoci, which is unpopular with Gbagbo’s supporters, said this week that Ouattara’s forces had fired on a UN helicopter in the west of the country. Côte d’Ivoire’s UN envoy , Youssoufou Bamba, a Ouattara nominee, denied the charge.

Gbagbo cancelled an address to the nation planned for Wednesday and his supporters on Tuesday called for a ceasefire and talks.
Ouattara’s camp rejected the idea and its ambassador to France, Ally Coulibaly, declared that they controlled three-quarters of the country.
On Wednesday two French police officers assigned to the French embassy were wounded when pro-Gbagbo forces fired on their car, the French foreign ministry said.