As African leaders gear up for two successive summits to salvage peace efforts in Côte d’Ivoire, the country’s President, Laurent Gbagbo, has ruled out any mediation role for his fellow West African leaders.
The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has invited heads of state from across the region to the Nigerian capital of Abuja. But, just days before the get-together, Gbagbo warned, in a broadcast speech, that he would never accept a peace proposal sponsored by Ecowas. ‘Some Ecowas countries are seriously involved in the rebellion,†he said, referring to the insurgency three years ago that split the world’s top cocoa producer into a rebel-held north and a government-controlled south.
Gbagbo has repeatedly accused Burkina Faso and Mali of backing the insurgents. He slammed the New Forces rebels for allegedly looting the country’s coffee, cocoa and diamonds ‘to the benefit of certain countries in the region who now are exporting wealth they never producedâ€.
Friday’s Ecowas talks, to be followed by a wider African Union summit, probably within two weeks, were called following the collapse of the latest in a long line of mediation efforts.
The Pretoria accord, brokered by AU-appointed mediator President Thabo Mbeki, was to have climaxed with presidential elections on October 30. But neither side stuck to the disarmament deadlines set by Mbeki and, in recent weeks, the rebels have rebuffed the South African mediation team on the grounds that it is biased in favour of Gbagbo.
So, with the rebels snubbing South Africa, and Gbagbo snubbing Ecowas, it will be difficult to come up with a peace proposal that can accommodate both sides in the conflict while easing diplomatic friction among African states.