|
Clashes rock Abidjan as Ouattara urges peace
[The Nation (Nairobi)] Clashes involving heavy weapons rocked Cote d'Ivoire's Abidjan today as President Alassane Ouattara struggled to return security to the commercial capital after capturing his rival Laurent Gbagbo.The fighting was heard in areas largely loyal to Gbagbo, the central Plateau district and Cocody in the north, as pro-Ouattara forces tried to return the city to normality after 10 days of bitter street battles. Ouattara addressed the nation late Monday, the day his troops captured Gbagbo from a besieged presidential bunker in a joint operation with French and UN troops, vowing justice, reconciliation and security. "I ask you to remain calm and show restraint," Ouattara, the 69-year-old elected leader of the west African country, said in a televised address, hailing "the dawn of a new era of hope".
He also announced "legal proceedings against Laurent Gbagbo, his wife and his allies", adding that "all measures are being taken" to protect them following their dramatic capture after a four-month crisis. Gbagbo, who had held power since 2000 and stubbornly refused to admit defeat in November's presidential election, also called for a laying down of arms in televised comments shortly after his capture from a bunker. Gbagbo, his wife Simone and son Michel are being held at Ouattara's temporary headquarters at an Abidjan hotel, where they are being guarded by UN police amid fears of reprisals or summary justice
"There were festivities using heavy weapons," around midday, a resident of Plateau, largely deserted since fighting erupted and home to the presidential palace, told AFP by telephone. "This morning we saw a convoy of cars with lots of 4x4s: (Ouattara's military chief) Cherif Ousmane told us they were going to flush out snipers posted on all tall buildings in Plateau," said a young woman. "Shortly after they went by, loud blasts began," said the woman, who asked not to be named. In Cocody, where Gbagbo was incarcerated at his official residence on Monday, a resident said "there was sporadic small arms fire in the morning, after which we heard rocket and heavy machine-gun fire for several minutes." Fighting in Abidjan has left streets littered with bodies and parts of the city in the grip of looters. The north of the sprawling metropolis was particularly affected, with gunnies aboard 4x4 vehicles smashing down house gates under cover of darkness and making off with electrical goods, residents said. But a semblance of normal life appeared to return to the southern district of Treichville and to Adjame in the north. "There's car traffic, woro-woros (public transport), taxis. There's even some food shops that have opened," said a Treichville inhabitant. UN secretary-general  the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon welcomed Ouattara's promise to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to look into accusations of massacres and other crimes made against both sides in the Ivory Coast conflict.The UN, which has more than 9,000 troops and police in Ivory Coast, will keep up its mission helping to restore law and order and Ban offered help coping with a "critical" humanitarian emergency after the conflict. The UN has said that at least 800 people have been confirmed killed in the conflict between the rival camps following the November election. Posted by: Fred 2011-04-14 |
||
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=320351 |