US, EU prepare military action against Ivory Coast

The situation in the West African country of Ivory Coast continues to deteriorate after November’s disputed election between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and his rival, Alassane Outtara.

The US State Department has imposed a travel ban on Gbagbo...A similar announcement came from the European Union (EU). It has frozen Gbagbo's assets and imposed a visa ban on him and his supporters.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has extended the deployment of its troops in Ivory Coast for a further six months. This decision came in response to a demand from Gbagbo that the troops leave immediately.

US Ambassador Susan Rice, who is currently president of the Security Council and is a former US assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, issued a thinly veiled threat to Gbagbo and his supporters. “Members of the Security Council warn all stakeholders that they will be held accountable for attacks against civilians and peacekeepers and will be brought to justice in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.”

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised Britons to leave Ivory Coast. The US embassy in Abidjan has evacuated all nonessential staff and families.

Newcrest Mining has closed down operations at its Bonikro gold mine. Newcrest is Australia's largest gold mining company. Its Bonikro facility produces 120,000 ounces of gold a year. The company has evacuated its staff to Ghana, leaving only security personnel at the mine. It is clearly anticipating an intensification of military operations in Ivory Coast.

The US, EU and UN have recognised Gbagbo's rival Alassane Dramane Outtara as the winner of last month's presidential election. Outtara has established himself in the Hotel du Golf under the protection of UN troops and Gbagbo remains in the presidential palace. The coordinated announcements from the US, EU and UN are clearly intended to convey the message they are determined to establish firm control over this important West African state. The evacuation of civilians suggests that the US and its allies are moving rapidly towards further military intervention.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/ivor-d23.shtml

I'm just thinking about all his friends I met from that place, I hope they are all okay.

Obscure?

wouldn't you say Majority Leader Reid.

i'm sure we'll be told the reason is defense of freedom & human rights.

that's always the reason.

The only reason the world ever seems to pay attention to Africa is when there is some resource (oil, gold, cobalt, ivory, diamonds, etc..) at stake. Otherwise we let people starve and kill each other wholesale.

Just sick.

I think the EU will lean on them, but I don't anticipate military action. This kind of thing happens in Africa quite often and very rarely do Western nations put 'boots on the ground,' as it were.

http://crossedcrocodiles.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/cote-divoire-claims-ghanas-oil/

March 4, 2010

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The Vanguard tells us:

Industry sources say the crude found off Ghana is of a quality even easier to refine than the light, sweet crude found in Nigeria, one of the world’s largest oil producers.

Revenue derived from oil will be invested in the national power supply, with improvements to the road network and water supply, construction of a deep sea oil port and revamping railway lines, Atta-Mills said.

“These projects will not only create significant employment themselves but will also support the growth of other industries,” he told the parliamentarians

are back in full swing. It's never about democracy in Africa - it's always about who controls what resources that belong to the African people.
Fuck all the imperialists! Fuck the criminal politicians in Africa as well.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/1223/Why-foreign-forces-are-unlikely-to-intervene-in-Ivory-Coast

Ivory Coast's would-be prime minister, Guillaume Soro, called Wednesday for civil disobedience and foreign military intervention as the only way out of the deadlock. Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo – who maintains effective control of the country, including the military, the borders, and the state media – refuses to cede power, even in the face of near-unanimous world reproach.

Across town in a hotel turned bunker, Alassane Ouattara, the man the United Nations and dozens of African and Western countries support as the clear winner of last month's presidential election, is holed up and looking to shift the balance of power any way he can.

Although European and North American governments have already announced travel bans on Mr. Gbagbo, his family, and entourage, they are unlikely to take this up to the level of military engagement, says Peter Pham, Africa expert and senior vice president at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy think tank in New York.

While the possibility of an African intervention has been floating in diplomatic circles, “this option would be spearheaded by Nigeria, which doesn't want to embark on a foreign military escapade on the eve of their own presidential election,” says Mr. Pham.