Ivory Coast - French Airstrikes and ground troops force Laurent Gbadbo to leave.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0405/breaking4.html

Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 16:20
Gbagbo negotiates Ivory Coast exit

Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was negotiating the terms of his departure from power today following a fierce assault by forces loyal to his presidential rival backed by UN and French helicopter airstrikes.

France said it expected a swift exit by Mr Gbagbo, who had clung to power since refusing to concede he lost last November's presidential election to Alassane Ouattara, plunging the world's top cocoa-growing nation into renewed civil war.

"We are on the brink of convincing him to leave power," French foreign minister Alain Juppe told parliament in Paris.

A Gbagbo spokesman said the incumbent was negotiating the terms of his departure based on the recognition of Mr Ouattara as president. The spokesman said the negotiations covered security guarantees for Mr Gbagbo and his relatives. "If everything goes well, we will have a declaration soon," he said.

Mr Gbagbo was said to be in Abidjan, with some media reports saying he was in a bunker below his residence. His forces called for a ceasefire after being comprehensively outgunned, and French defence minister Gerard Longuet said the West African country's crisis could soon be over.

"We are in a situation where everything could be resolved in the next few hours," Mr Longuet told a news conference.

US president Barack Obama called on Mr Gbagbo to stand down immediately and order his fighters to lay down their arms.

The United Nations mission in the country said Mr Gbagbo's army chiefs had asked their men surrender their arms to UN forces and seek protection.

Over the past week, forces loyal to Mr Ouattara had launched a major assault on Mr Gbagbo's last strongholds in Abidjan, driving home their campaign to oust him.

Calm had returned to the area surrounding the presidential palace after days of fierce machinegun and heavy weapons fire.

The UN peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast, supported by the French military, had targeted Mr Gbagbo's heavy weapons capabilities yesterday with attack helicopters after civilians were killed in shelling.

In the north of Abidjan, bullet-riddled bodies lay by the side of the main motorway near the largely pro-Gbagbo neighbourhood of Yopougon, evidence of recent fighting. An armoured personnel carrier was pushed across the roadway, still in flames, and residents who had emerged from their houses to find water said they had heard machinegun and heavy weapons fire through the night.

The United Nations human rights office in Geneva today expressed concern over the killings of dozens of civilians in Abidjan, amid reports of heavy weapons used in populated areas.

Mr Gbagbo has defied international pressure to give up the presidency after an election last November that UN-certified results showed Mr Ouattara won, rejecting the results as fraudulent and accusing the United Nations of bias.

More than 1,500 people are reported to have died in the standoff that has rekindled the country's 2002-3 civil war, though the real toll is likely much higher.

[Tony Baloney]

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[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

5. Creating facetious or duplicate topics
   It is very easy to post a duplicate thread topic, and is very understandable. People should, wherever possible, keep similar threads together, but this is sometimes not
   possible, or the other threads not seen. Again, perfectly understandable. This rule is in place to stop people deliberately and constantly posting spurious or similar threads,
   and blatantly disregarding the wishes of the GAA board community to keep these threads together.
   
   Penalties. If a pattern of posting these threads emerges from an individual, a Warning will be given.
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This topic is about the French involvement. Now where are all the "they are only in it for the oil" crowd?

[armaghniac]

mayogodhelpus, your ivory coast flag is upside down.

[Tony Baloney]

Who would have thought the French would become the hard men of world politics. I suppose they have form in the general North/North-West African region.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

mayogodhelpus, your ivory coast flag is upside down.

Rotate your laptop.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Who would have thought the French would become the hard men of world politics. I suppose they have form in the general North/North-West African region.

Irish troops have been involved in North/West Africa region, should we take part?, we have form too (no I am not confusing with the Congo in Central Africa).

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/IRISH+TROOPS+IN+HOSTAGE+RESCUE%3B+Army+Rangers+swoop+on+rebels.-a0111954801

[thejuice]

I can't believe it's not oil   


http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/04/ivory.coast.libya/

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I can't believe it's not oil

Did Napoleon hear about the Gas in Mayo, hence 1798 

[thejuice]

Noam Chomsky disagrees with you anyway.

There was only 300 French troops and 1100 UN peace keeping forces who were there a while now. Not exactly the same effort we saw in Gaddafistan.


PS - I'm not Noam Chomsky

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Noam Chomsky disagrees with you anyway.

There was only 300 French troops and 1100 UN peace keeping forces who were there a while now. Not exactly the same effort we saw in Gaddafistan.


PS - I'm not Noam Chomsky

Well there where (prior to the I.C. former leaders step-down) 500 more French troops on their way. Also, the French forces would have been the lead force. Airstikes from French attack helicopters where the decisive injection of military hardware. Libya has/had more sophistcated anti-aircraft and heavy artililery units than faced in Ivory Coast.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

& it seems to have worked.

[lawnseed]

mayo there is still a considerable fench presence in cote de ivory over 10000 french citizens live there.. frances involvement is self interest i'd say once the new guy gave assurances nothing would befall the french they waded in to his aid

[AZOffaly]

who said there was no Irish troops on the ground? Is this a Tyrone man?

[muppet]

who said there was no Irish troops on the ground? Is this a Tyrone man?

Another of O'Neill's alter egos?