Ivory Coast Civil War May Erupt - Annan Wants Thousands Of Reinforcements

There is trouble in Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in West-Africa again. Military bases has been attacked and "Cuppa" Kofi Annan wants thousands of reinforcements for the UN peacekeeping force there. Currently there are already 6,900 blue-hats officers, alongside 4,000 French peacekeepers. Annan says even more troops are needed and that there is a "possibility that another major violent crisis might occur".

IOL: Military camp attacked in Ivory Coast

January 02 2006


A major military base to the west of Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan came under attack early on Monday, military sources said. "We are under heavy fire," said the commander at the camp, Lieutenat-Colonel Julien Kouame, without giving further details.

Shortly after 6am (06h00 GMT) heavy weapons could be heard firing in the vicinity of the base.

IOL: Situation at Ivory Coast base 'under control'

January 02 2006


An armed attack early on Monday against a major military base to the west of Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan has been repulsed by government forces, the army chief-of-staff said. "The situation is under control - our forces are in the process of securing the new camp and the old camp," General Philippe Mangou said on public radio and television, referring to two adjacent sites that came under mortar fire by unknown forces.

The attack on an infantry battalion based at one of the camps was contained within hours, a military source said, adding that assailants had been killed. But the arsenal of the camp was still under the control of the assailants

Heavily armed reinforcements were seen arriving in tanks and all-terrain vehicles at the Akouedo camp later Monday morning, while sources said light gunfire was continuing sporadically.

AllAfrica.com: New Attacks on Military Camps in Abidjan

January 2, 2006


Attacks on two military camps in Abidjan left several people dead on Monday, just days after the formation of a new unity government in Cote d'Ivoire had restored hope of a peaceful end to the three-year crisis dividing the nation.

Mutinous soldiers from the Ivorian army claimed responsibility for the attack, demanding 900,000 CFA francs each (US $1,800) in unpaid wages and war bonuses, according to a spokesman who gave his name only as Commander Albert. "We're Ivorian soldiers, we're not rebels, and we want to get paid," he told IRIN.

eyewitnesses told IRIN that the bodies of at least 10 people, some of them stripped naked, had been lying at the destroyed entrance gate and in the courtyard of the new Akuedo camp before being hauled away in army trucks.

AllAfrica.com: Cote d'Ivoire: Annan Wants More Peacekeepers On Ground

January 5, 2006


The UN peacekeeping force in Cote d'Ivoire is overstretched and needs thousands of reinforcements as long-delayed elections near, and there remains "the possibility that another major violent crisis might occur", Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

The latest request for more peacekeepers for Cote d'Ivoire became public in the same week that unidentified gunmen attacked two military camps on the north-eastern edge of the de facto capital, Abidjan.

I think this should be taken very seriously. A troop mutiny in 2002 escalated into a full-scale rebellion which killed thousands of people. The Ivory Coast is very divided and it doesn´t take much to spark a civil war there now.

Related links:
Country profile: Ivory Coast (BBC)
Reuters: Annan seeks UN reinforcements for Ivory Coast (Jan 5, 2006)
CNN: Gunfire at Ivory Coast barracks (Jan 2, 2006)

[edit on 2006/4/23 by Hellmutt]

What bothers me is that this will get a single spot on the American news networks and then we wont hear much about it. I did not even realize thousands died in a 2002 troop mutiny.

What kind of resources are there in the Ivory coast? Ivory no doubt? Precious metals and gems? Someone has a big interest in it if the UN is willing to put up such a fight.

Originally posted by DYepes
What kind of resources are there in the Ivory coast? Ivory no doubt?

Slaves. Back in the day anyway. Annan is probably particularly interested in it because he's African, so its something of a patriotic issue no doubt.

The UN should be there regardless, thats its job, to prevent these disruptions.

The borders in africa really need to be re-drawn too, just look at that map, its meaningless, borders cutting tribes and ethnic groups in two, I really think that a reorganization would make it easier to resolve some of these issues. A big issue with Africa is that the US and UN want more continental involvement, but thats difficult to do when there are all these fractured states in play. With a conglomeration there might be more centralization and more washing out of 'petty' rebel groups/interests.

[edit on 8-1-2006 by Nygdan]

Originally posted by DYepes
What kind of resources are there in the Ivory coast? Ivory no doubt? Precious metals and gems? Someone has a big interest in it if the UN is willing to put up such a fight.

Well they have oil and natural gas, not any significant amounts though. Then they have diamonds and gold, don't know how much of those though.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Annan is probably particularly interested in it because he's African, so its something of a patriotic issue no doubt.

Africa is not one country you know. However Annan is born in Ghana, a neighbouring country to Cote d'Ivoire, maybe he doesn't want the unrest to spread there?
His family is also of the Ghanaian elite, and I think they want to stay in power in the country. Kofi to the rescue!

Every 5 mins theres a bloody civil war somewhere in Africa. And always over petty little things. You get dozens of half-baked rebel groups calling themselevs "Democratic Freedom Fighters" this or "Peoples liberation" that, but in the end, they're all out to make a quick buck and kill some of their enemies in the process.

What is it about Africa that makes the people so ready to pick up a gun and start fighting each other?

If soldiers went unpaid in the UK, they wouldn't start attacking places. Most I know would just refuse to work and that would only be in the most extreme cases, many would continue on out of a sense of duty until they had to make a stand, say if they had family and needed food.

I know I am going to gte flamed for this, but it seems as if the only difference between the savages of pre-colonial times and those that live there now are they just have guns instead of spears.

All this tribal warfare, genocide, looting, raping and killing is just nuts. Someone needs to go back in, take control of the situation and teach these people that butchering the Mooboo tribe from the next valley because they stole a cow back in 1831 is not the way to go about things.....

You Want to know why the International Community does not do SOMETHING, to help those in Africa?

Armes Trade in BIG Buseniss

USA, Russia, France and Britain do the largest businesses of arms trade in the world. Sometimes, these arms sales are made secretly and sometimes knowingly to human rights violators, military dictatorships and corrupt governments. This does not promote democracy in those nations.

They do not want to loose all the Business Partners down in Africa!



[edit on 8/1/06 by Souljah]

Originally posted by Souljah
You Want to know why the International Community does not do SOMETHING, to help those in Africa?

Armes Trade in BIG Buseniss

USA, Russia, France and Britain do the largest businesses of arms trade in the world. Sometimes, these arms sales are made secretly and sometimes knowingly to human rights violators, military dictatorships and corrupt governments. This does not promote democracy in those nations.

They do not want to loose all the Business Partners down in Africa!

[edit on 8/1/06 by Souljah]

Thats a bit self defeating though, don't you think? would you rather trade a few second hand warships and some rifles with a tin-pot Dictator of a piss-poor country, or would it not be better business practice to invest and increase the GDP of said country, not only would trade in general increase, but if they still wanted too, they could sell even more weapons!

Silly buggers...

Yes, this is "happy hour" for arms traffickers like Viktor Bout. His planes carry weapons to war zones and leave loaded with diamonds, gold or other valuble resources. Bout would fly for anybody that paid (even Taliban) and he still does.

I just read a story about Mobutu when he and his family left Zaire to escape from rebel forces. He fled in one of Bout´s planes and the rebel forces were shooting at the plane as it took off. Mobutu´s son has said: "We were lucky it was a Russian plane. If it had been a Boeing, it would have exploded". I read that story in this very interesting article about Bout: The Merchant of Death from the 11-part series Making a Killing The Business of War

Africa has become an attractive and profitable dumping ground for nations and arm manufacturers eager to get rid of weapon stocks made superfluous by the end of the Cold War or by technological developments.

Apparently the Only Currency in this African War Thorn Countries are the Diamonds, which are called Death Stones.

With them you can Buy ANYTHING; Weapons, Warriors, Women, Villages, entire Countries.

War in Africa is nothing but a Corporate Target for a Weapons Market - and nobody sees People Killing Each other as a Crisis.

And Big Mega Corporations RULE this World, if you did not Notice.

There are no more countries anymore - there are Corporations, which are Stronger, Richer and most Powerful then MOST Countries in this World, and THEY decide who gets Food and who gets Weapons.

Sad but True.

And you do not have to Sell BIG BAD Warships and tons of Uranium - the REAL Weapons of Mass Destruction are Small Arms - for they Represent 90% of ALL Civilan Casualties in the Conflitcts around the world Today.

• Some 300,000 to half a million people around the world are killed by them each year - Every minute, someone is killed by a Gun
  
  
• There are around half a billion military small arms around the world
  
  
• They are the major cause of civilian casualties in modern conflicts
  
  
• At least Cmpanies in 98 countries worldwide are involved in some aspect of the production of small arms and/or ammunition

Again I will Repeat that,

“The five permanent members of the UN Security Council—France, Russia, China, the UK, and the USA—together account for 88 per cent of the world’s conventional arms exports; and these exports contribute regularly to gross abuses of human rights.”

And while the Entire Focus of the International Cummunity is around Weapons of Mass Destruction - these Conventional WMD's are being Traded as we speak - by none other then the 5 Strongest and most Influential Members of the Security Council.

You have to Ask yourself, these Questions:

- How many Weapons Factories are there in Africa?

- How many Weapons Magazines are there in Africa?

Stumason
I think you're off base in painting the whole continent with a single brush. There are African nations with stable, effective governance, food surplus, and no civil war problems (Senegal, Cameroon, Mauritius, etc.). There are parts of Africa that are Hell on earth, in terms of disease, famine, rape, murder, child soldiers, the works, but that's not the case for ALL of Africa.

Souljah makes a good point regarding the situation with weapons making their way into the place, it's certainly a large component of the problem.

Also, to be clear, Africa is incredibly rich in natural resources, but most are under-exploited by native people due to a severe shortage of local investment capital, over-exploited by foreign interests, or disputed and fought over. Africa has a LOT of natural wealth though. It's just not benefiting Africans in any meaningful way.

I do wholeheartedly agree with comments on this thread about the senseless nature of tribal warfare. The Rwandan massacre springs to mind, where millions of Tutsi died because of their physical stature, and of course the mob mentality that infected the Hutu. That event sets the standard for Western apathy when it comes to the lives of Africans. We had the power to stop that insanity, and we didn't, because it just wasn't profitable.

While all that's going on, thousands of children are starving to death every day, and not just in Africa. Totally preventable tragedy, day in, day out, perfectly acceptable to the modern western conscience. We don't even give it a second thought usually, thinking detracts from our daily consumption/condemnation routine.

The primary product of the Ivory Coast is Cocoa and The Ivory Coast produces a large share of the world's cocoa. If there is trouble, then buy Cocoa.

When we were about to invade Iraq in 2002, I screamed that just a couple thousand troops could help in The Ivory Coast. I posted in a few boards, but not here. It all fell on deaf ears. There must be some sort of political gain for the U.S. to consider their problem. It's sad that we are that way.

Stumason
I think you're off base in painting the whole continent with a single brush. There are African nations with stable, effective governance, food surplus, and no civil war problems (Senegal, Cameroon, Mauritius, etc.). There are parts of Africa that are Hell on earth, in terms of disease, famine, rape, murder, child soldiers, the works, but that's not the case for ALL of Africa.

Yeah, I know ... It just pisses me off royally when we see on the news every day about Rebellions and massacres etc etc...

There is just no need for it and for those people involved they are hardly helping themselves whilst at the same time blaming the West in it's entirety for the problem. We do bear some responsibility, but it's the same as the Black Slave trade argument...

How long are we going to be blamed for something that took place years ago? We left Africa with a significant infrastruture (see Kenyan Railways and look how it is now)and working Government, it is they themselves that broke it, not us.

If they did not like they're government, then there are ways to get rid of them, rather than forming the "Democratic Peoples Liberation Army of Freedom and Other Nice Sounding Titles" which in reality are gangs of undisciplined savages cutting off the limbs off children....

Acknowledged though are the countries that do seem to be getting it together, but even then, some of their methods are questionable. Zimbabwe, for example, used to be the breadbasket of Africa, but since the completely insane land reforms took place, they are now starving.

Was it worth redistributing land only to see it lie unused or poorly managed?

At least the White farmers knew how to farm and provided jobs too boot.

South Africa is heading the same way. that used to be the African Superpower, but is now nothing more than a third world backwater.

While all that's going on, thousands of children are starving to death every day, and not just in Africa. Totally preventable tragedy, day in, day out, perfectly acceptable to the modern western conscience. We don't even give it a second thought usually, thinking detracts from our daily consumption/condemnation routine.

Thats a very good point you raise there. A Tsunami sized deathtoll every week, yet no one cares.

Originally posted by stumason
How long are we going to be blamed for something that took place years ago? We left Africa with a significant infrastruture (see Kenyan Railways and look how it is now)and working Government, it is they themselves that broke it, not us.

As Long as it Takes, for the World to Know.

If you did not Notice, European Colonialism had a DEVASTATING effect on Africa and its People.

Conflicts in Africa

The artificial boundaries created by colonial rulers as they ruled and finally left Africa had the effect of bringing together many different ethnic people within a nation that did not reflect, nor have (in such a short period of time) the ability to accommodate or provide for, the cultural and ethnic diversity. The freedom from imperial powers was, and is still, not a smooth transition. The natural struggle to rebuild is proving difficult.

Corporate Interests, Exploitation, Corruption and Other Issues

These are the Main Reasons for Conflicts, Poverty and High Mortality Rate in Africa and the Reason behind Ordinary People Killing each other and Dying on daily basis, while the Domestic and Foreign Elites get Richer.

Blame the Victim

It is undeniable that there has been poor governance, corruption and mismanagement in Africa. However, the briefing reveals the context — the legacy of colonialism, the support of the G8 for repressive regimes in the Cold War, the creation of the debt trap, the massive failure of Structural Adjustment Programmes imposed by the IMF and World Bank and the deeply unfair rules on international trade. The role of the G8 in creating the conditions for Africa's crisis cannot be denied. Its overriding responsibility must be to put its own house in order, and to end the unjust policies that are inhibiting Africa's development.

It looks like the Current Situation in Africa Suits BEST the Interests of Corporations and the rest of the Industrial World. For it is better if they leaeve the People of Africa to stay where they are, without any Real Power in their Land, which is ruled by Corruption, Exploatation and Conflicts - which are all sponsored by the Ruling Elites from the Mighties Five Countries in the World.


When the European Colonialists came they had the Bible, we had the land. They said, “Let's close our eyes and pray.” When we opened our eyes again, we had the Bible and they had the land... By Randall Robinson

Yeah, I know ... It just pisses me off royally when we see on the news every day about Rebellions and massacres etc etc...

Yeah, although to put things in perspective, there is no such thing as a positive news story about Africa in the MSM. It's not that positive things don't happen, it's that they aren't sensational enough to make the international news.

I know what you're saying though, it's not hard to get frustrated by the situation, especially if you live in Europe where you have to deal with the steady influx of Africans trying to escape the kinds of problems you see on the news.

There is just no need for it and for those people involved they are hardly helping themselves whilst at the same time blaming the West in it's entirety for the problem. We do bear some responsibility, but it's the same as the Black Slave trade argument...

There's a story told by relief workers, about how you set up a medical tent to treat parasite infections. The kids file in with their parents and get treated. They are told not to swim in the nearby drainage ditch if they want to stay healthy. The parasites will attack them again if they don't listen. The next day all the kids are playing in the drainage ditch. The relief worker asks them why, and they tell him "We were hot."



So the relief worker has a serious moral dilllema. Is he going to commit himself to an existence not unlike that of Sysyphus, who pushed the same boulder up the same hill for eternity, or is he going to abandon the children to their own devices? There is a sort of relaxed cynicism at work in the minds of the relief workers/missionaries I've talked to, they seem to realize that they can't possibly solve the problem, only satisfy their own desire to try.

Something to think about...

Anyway, I didn't want you or other folks thinking I'm some impractical idealist intent on feeding every child (which is just how my last post made me come off). I'm really very cynical about the actual efficacy of the foreign aid we currently throw at the problem. Most of the advancements in the standard of living of Africa came as a result of local/national programs not dependent on foreign aid. In those places where progress has been made, the credit clearly belongs to the locals.

Clearly, the same logic applies to the Iraq farce. Freedom can't be sold to people, it can't be forced on them, it can't be dropped from the belly of a bomber. Reform and progress occur from the ground up.

Acknowledged though are the countries that do seem to be getting it together, but even then, some of their methods are questionable. Zimbabwe, for example, used to be the breadbasket of Africa, but since the completely insane land reforms took place, they are now starving.

I think Zimbabwe is a bad example, if we're talking about nations getting it together. Anti-white sentiment in Zimbabwe, S. Africa, and elsewhere is understandable, but counter-productive to the extreme.

I probably came off as some pro-colonial too, but I hope my point came across.

I agree with you about local efforts are the best way. It comes back to the old saying about giving a man a loaf of bread, he can eat for a day, but give him a (insert farm tool here) and he can feed his family for life...

And Zimbabwe was a bad example, I agree... And I do see why they would want land reform, but the way they do it is completely counter-productive.

Originally posted by SwearBear
Africa is not one country you know.

So?

. You get dozens of half-baked rebel groups calling themselevs "Democratic Freedom Fighters" this or "Peoples liberation" that, but in the end

Yeah, like these guys:

this, but it seems as if the only difference between the savages of pre-colonial times and those that live there now are they just have guns instead of spears

Savages is probably a poor choice of words, since its loaded with a racist context, tho I'd agree that people who force children in to armies and brutally butcher their neighbhors are pretty savage.

tribe from the next valley because they stole a cow back in 1831 is not the way to go about things.....

The problem is that its not over stuff like that, a lot of it is over communist agitation, and other warlords are supported by corporate types because they can keep things stable, for awhile.
And a serious problem is the borders, the borders are unnatural and artificial and don't take into account the demographics of the region. A reorganization would deflate a lot of these problems.

or would it not be better business practice to invest and increase the GDP of said country,

Not if you are a gun company though. Legitimate businesses can't get invovled in africa because its unstable, and the american, or the rest of the world, just doesn't care enough to try to stabilize it.

How long are we going to be blamed for something that took place years ago? We left Africa with a significant infrastruture (see Kenyan Railways and look how it is now)and working Government, it is they themselves that broke it, not us.

Or look at sierra leon, that was a country that had some good promises in the post-colonial era, but it all fell apart very quickly.

If you did not Notice, European Colonialism had a DEVASTATING effect on Africa and its People.

Of course, without colonialism, it wouldn't be very different.

Besides, this is all old hat, something new needs to be done, and cutting off these underground lines of weapons smuggling seems like it woudl bea good start, but that is just a type of paternalistic colonialism.

Unfortunately, no one cares. There are constant revolutions in africa, armies made up of children, not teenagers, but children. Genocide is happening there today, and I don't mean 'in the modern era', I mean to-day. But no one cares. Everyone cried after rwanda and made movies about it. Maybe in a decade there'll be a movie about the Darfur, but really, whats it matter, no one cares, no one's ever going to do anything.
Case in point, the Secretary General of the UN, an organization who's major purpose is to prevent war and devastation in the first place, is an african, and still, nothing happens, he won't even call the genocide in the sudan as such, because it would require action.

Think about that. All Annan has to do is make a speech to the assembly talking about the genocide in the sudan, and the assembly will be required by its bylaws, which are international laws, to act. And nothing happens, because no one cares.

Originally posted by davenman
When we were about to invade Iraq in 2002, I screamed that just a couple thousand troops could help in The Ivory Coast. I posted in a few boards, but not here. It all fell on deaf ears. There must be some sort of political gain for the U.S. to consider their problem. It's sad that we are that way.

there was no political gain to be had when we sent troops into somalia. the problem with africa is not that nobody cares, but that the africans themselves dont care, and dont want any help (as previously stated, this does not mean all africans, as there are stable countries there). many of you have posted comments about the world ignoring the problem, but you conveniently forget about when the world tried to do something about it, and the troops got decimated by the people they were trying to help.

Originally posted by Nygdan

Unfortunately, no one cares. There are constant revolutions in africa, armies made up of children, not teenagers, but children. Genocide is happening there today, and I don't mean 'in the modern era', I mean to-day. But no one cares. Everyone cried after rwanda and made movies about it. Maybe in a decade there'll be a movie about the Darfur, but really, whats it matter, no one cares, no one's ever going to do anything.

again, the people themselves dont want help. the minute we send troops in, the civil war will stop because everyone will fight off the "invaders", and as soon as we are gone, it will be status pro quo. you cant help people that dont want that help.

Case in point, the Secretary General of the UN, an organization who's major purpose is to prevent war and devastation in the first place, is an african, and still, nothing happens, he won't even call the genocide in the sudan as such, because it would require action.

youre talking about a man who knowingly (allegedly, i'll admit...but the evidence is pretty damn strong) allowed the oil for food program to be manipulated so that his son (and others) could become rich. he doesnt care.

Think about that. All Annan has to do is make a speech to the assembly talking about the genocide in the sudan, and the assembly will be required by its bylaws, which are international laws, to act. And nothing happens, because no one cares.

there have been attempts to help the sudanese. those attempting to help get killed. again, they just dont want outsiders meddling with their problems. how do you help people that will kill you for trying to help?

Riots break out in Cote d'Ivoire. Up to 2,000 demonstrators in the streets. Hundreds of angry demonstrators (some with machetes and sticks) destroyed and burned UN vehicles. A leader of a youth group said they wanted to "tell the international community to go home".

News24.com: Riots break out in I Coast

17/01/2006


Hundreds of angry demonstrators erected roadblocks across Ivory Coast's main city and destroyed UN vehicles to protest a decision by an international group mediating in the civil war-divided country.

Up to 2 000 protesters took to the streets of government-held Abidjan on Monday after UN-backed mediators said over the weekend that the West African nation's parliament should be dissolved since its mandate expired last month.

"This is just the beginning of many demonstrations to tell the international community to go home. We want to fix this crisis among us Ivorians," said Serge Koffi, leader of a youth group often involved in Abidjan's violent protests. Rioters destroyed five UN vehicles, burning one to cinders, said the UN.

Ten thousand UN and French peacekeepers are providing security in Ivory Coast

IOL: Enough is enough, say Ivory Coast protesters

January 16 2006


Hundreds of youths, some brandishing machetes and sticks, burned tyres and blocked roads in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan on Monday in protest against a call by foreign mediators for parliament to be dissolved.

Several hundred youths loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo walked towards the city's business district chanting "enough is enough" and burning tyres blocked main streets in other areas. Police fired teargas to repel one group of protesters.

Witnesses said some of the protesters were planning to head to the headquarters of the country's UN mission, which is a short distance from the city centre.

Pre-colonialism or post-colonialism there have allways been tribal conflicts or civil wars of some kind in certain parts of Africa, mainly along the western coast where slaves were captured by their neighboring tribesman. It is about time that people start to take matters into their own hands and resolve their own conflicts.

Violence continues and the ruling party threatened to pull out of the peace process. UN gets humiliated and a UN military base were invaded by a group of 1,000 people. "Cuppa" Kofi Annan is mad and condemn the "orchestrated violence directed against the UN".

Cote D Ivoire: Anti-UN Protests Snag Abidjan for Second Day (allAfrica.com)

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

January 17, 2006


Cote d'Ivoire's frail peace process came under fire on Tuesday as protests by pro-government youth targeting the UN peacekeeping mission went into a second day and the ruling party threatened to pull out of peace efforts.

"We are tired of foreign intervention," a girl sporting a T-shirt with the national colours of Cote d'Ivoire told IRIN at a barricade as she opened the trunks of passing cars to check what was inside. "We are tired of neo-colonial attitudes."

In the western town of Guiglo, an estimated 1,000 people invaded a UN military base held by Bangladeshi troops. "They are in the base but so far they are just dancing and chanting," a UN official told IRIN. "They demanded we take the UN flag down, though." The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, expressed concern and called for an immediate end to continuing disturbances in Cote d'Ivoire condemning the "orchestrated violence directed against the UN".