Sierra Leone’s president is flying to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he and other regional leaders will insist that Laurent Gbagbo relinquish his grip on the presidency.
Foreign ministry official Sullay Daramy said Ernest Bai Koroma and other members of Sierra Leone delegation departed Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Tuesday morning.
Koroma will be joined by presidents of Cape Verde, Benin and officials of the West African regional bloc Ecowas. The leaders are part of a high-level delegation that will meet with Gbagbo later on Tuesday to tell him to step down from power. The group has threatened to use “legitimate force” if he does not.
The UN certified Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the November 28 run-off vote in Côte d’Ivoire, but Gbagbo insists he won.
Not a bluff
While doubts exist about whether the region could carry out a military operation to force Gbagbo’s hand, Ouattara’s camp remains confident that help is coming, and soon.
“It’s not a bluff,” one senior Ouattara adviser said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. “The soldiers are coming much faster than anyone thinks.”
Residents remain fearful of the violence such an intervention could unleash if attempted. Dozens of people gathered outside the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan on Monday, holding signs that read: “We don’t want a military intervention” and “Let Ivorians solve Ivorian problems.” Nigeria has the strongest army in the region and is expected to play a major role if an operation is launched to oust Gbagbo.
“We think that the parties concerned should be able to reach whatever solutions they should arrive at amicably and without any foreign intervention,” said protester Harry Osemegi.
Elsewhere in Abidjan, dozens of women gathered to pray for peace after weeks of violence that have left at least 173 people dead, according to the UN The toll is believed to be much higher, as the UN said it has been unable to investigate reports of a mass grave because of restrictions on UN personnel movements.
“We are in trouble and we don’t know what to do. We are not politicians; we have had sleepless nights. We are stressed that’s why we have come here to cry to God,” said Edith Esther, an Abidjan resident.
‘Immutable demand’
“In the event that Mr Gbagbo fails to heed this immutable demand of Ecowas, the community would be left with no alternative but to take other measures, including the use of legitimate force, to achieve the goals of the Ivorian people,” the regional bloc said late on Friday.
Ouattara’s supporters also called for a general strike to begin on Monday to step up the pressure, but shops were open and it was business as usual in central Abidjan, though the pro-Ouattara districts began shutting down in the early afternoon. The strike was intermittently followed across the country. Bouake, the rebel capital, was a ghost town, while Gagnoa, a Gbagbo-stronghold, was open for business. – Reuters, AP