Laurent Gbagbo on Friday faced growing isolation and pressure to quit power in Côte d’Ivoire after disputed polls, with world powers freezing him out and his rivals seeking the army’s allegiance.
After the African Union (AU) suspended Côte d’Ivoire from its ranks and the United States warned of sanctions, the rival administration set up by Alassane Ouattara called on the military to recognise him as head of state.
“The government demands that the Security and Defence Forces carry out their republican mission under President Alassane Ouattara, the supreme chief of the armed forces,” said Ouattara’s government in a statement.
The call intensified efforts to squeeze Gbagbo, who faces growing isolation after major international powers including the United Nations Security Council, the African Union and other regional players rallied behind Ouattara.
Ouattara’s side earlier said it aimed to make “effective” its authority in Côte d’Ivoire this week, but Gbagbo has not yet formally responded and Ivorians were waiting anxiously for his next move.
A senior official close to Guillaume Soro, the former rebel whom Ouattara has named as head of the rival cabinet, said of Gbagbo: “We are going to try to get him out without causing any damage.”
Violence not ruled out
But an official close to Ouattara told Agence France-Presse: “Time is against us.”
An official in the Gbagbo camp said: “President Gbagbo thinks that with a certain amount of lobbying, we will find a solution.”
But neither side had ruled out recourse to violence, he warned.
Gbagbo still has nominal control of the national military while Soro has a smaller army of several thousand northern New Forces (FN) troops behind him and has warned Gbagbo they could mobilise if he does not budge.
The FN control the north of the country since a 2002 civil war that split the country in two.
For now, “the New Forces are vigilant, but they are not making any move”, said one western military source. Soro has stressed his side is still seeking a peaceful solution.
The 53-nation AU’s decision to suspend Côte d’Ivoire until Ouattara is formally in charge capped Gbagbo’s growing diplomatic isolation, while the United States also intensified threats to squeeze him.
A letter from US President Barack Obama to Gbagbo “made clear that if he makes the wrong choice … we would look at possible sanctions against him and others if necessary,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga also demanded Gbagbo accept defeat, warning that Côte d’Ivoire faced “a tragedy Africa cannot afford”, as Kenya followed South Africa in rallying behind Ouattara.
France meanwhile said it was on alert to evacuate thousands of its nationals from its former star colony if the situation turned ugly.
The United Nations has already ordered 460 non-essential staff out of the country and foreign companies have evacuated expatriates.
Gbagbo has shown no signs of relaxing his 10-year grip on power in the West African cocoa producer, and has unveiled his own new government.
He remained president after his term expired in 2005 as elections were postponed six times. The second-round runoff was finally held on November 28.
The electoral commission results, endorsed by the United Nations, gave Ouattara victory, but Gbagbo’s allies overturned them, alleging irregularities. Both men then declared themselves president.
Clashes surrounding the election left at least 20 people dead, according to Amnesty International. — Sapa-AFP