International mediators on Monday urged a peaceful end to a political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire amid the threat of unrest and growing world pressure on the two powerful rivals claiming the presidency.
The United Nations said it was pulling hundreds of staff out of the country due to the volatile situation, as former South African president Thabo Mbeki ended an urgent mediation mission without any major announcement after talks with the rivals.
At least 20 people have been killed in election-related violence since the disputed presidential vote on November 28, human rights organisation Amnesty International said on Monday.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “remains deeply concerned” and “has been in close contact with many world leaders”, spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
The European Union, meanwhile, threatened sanctions if the crisis is not resolved fast.
Clinging to power, incumbent Laurent Gbagbo extended a nightly curfew to curb disturbances, state television said, as the country waited tensely for a break in the deadlock between him and his rival, Alassane Ouattara, a former prime minister.
Gbagbo and Ouattara have both sworn themselves in as president of the West African state and each has named a separate prime minister.
The ex-rebel chief named as prime minister in Ouattara’s rival government, Guillaume Soro, pressed ahead with his first Cabinet meeting on Monday and warned Gbagbo he could face an armed revolt if he does not back down.
‘If he pushes us to it, we’ll have no other choice’
Supporters of Ouattara hit the streets in parts of the main city, Abidjan, on Monday as in the two previous days, burning tyres and raising barricades before police dispersed them with tear gas, Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondents reported.
Soro meanwhile gathered the members of his new government “to tackle some current issues and decree certain action to be taken by each of the ministers”, their spokesperson, Patrick Achi, told reporters.
Gbagbo (65) has defied international calls to end his 10 years in power after the UN recognised Ouattara as the winner of a presidential vote that was supposed to ensure peace but instead has been marred by deadly violence.
Soro, who has been reappointed as prime minister by Ouattara and has several thousand northern rebel troops behind him, warned Gbagbo on Monday they could take up arms if he tries to cling on. Gbagbo has nominal control of the national army.
Asked whether he would be ready to reactivate his forces to “unseat” Gbagbo, Soro told France’s Europe 1 radio: “If he pushes us to it, we’ll have no other choice,” but insisted he was seeking a peaceful “transition of power”.
A spokesperson for EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton said on Monday the bloc may consider targeted sanctions “against those who obstruct the peaceful transition and the election” if the crisis is not resolved quickly.
Dispatched urgently
Mbeki was dispatched urgently on Sunday by the 53-member African Union (AU) and met with both rivals, who raised the stakes, Ouattara’s side forming a new government and Gbagbo naming his own prime minister, Gilbert Marie N’gbo Ake.
“The African Union is very, very keen indeed that the peace in Côte d’Ivoire should be maintained,” Mbeki told reporters after a second meeting with Gbagbo on Monday.
“We indeed hope that the leadership of this country will do everything it can to make sure that peace is maintained,” before leaving without any further declaration.
Hundreds of people fearing fighting have crossed from western Côte d’Ivoire into neighbouring Liberia, an official there said.
On Monday UN spokesperson Haq told AFP that “given the security situation” in Côte d’Ivoire about 460 non-essential staff there will be relocated to the Gambia.
Côte d’Ivoire was split in two between north and south by a civil war in 2002 and 2003. The election was supposed to end a decade of conflict in the country, which was once the most prosperous in West Africa.
“It could take several months but if there is still no political solution we cannot rule out a real risk of a return to an armed conflict,” said Gilles Yabi, a senior regional analyst at the International Crisis Group.
Growing pressure
Obama was adding to growing world pressure on the two men.
“We think it’s important… that we do begin to discuss accountability measures such as targeted sanctions so that we’re sending a firm message about the consequences of subverting the democratic process,” said the official.
Another senior White House official said the US was speaking “with a range of partners about the crisis … about both immediate next steps going forward”, including France, key regional players and countries bordering Côte d’Ivoire.
He said Washington was discussing “what’s appropriate in terms of holding those responsible for subverting the democratic process accountable for their actions … And also making clear that anyone who instigates violence will also be held accountable for their actions.” — AFP