Swarms of rebels attacked French troops and villages near a key river crossing in western Ivory Coast today, causing hundreds of terrified residents to flee. Automatic gunfire could be heard coming from west of Guessabo after the French army said the rebels tried to break through to the main highway between Duekoue and Daloa, a key cocoa city. "Since dawn, there have been numerous clashes with armed elements trying to break through between Duekoue and Dibobly, which is by the Sassandra River," said French army spokesman Philippe Perret.
| You can track this on a map, somewhat, here... |
Fighting in the lush, cocoa-rich west of the former French colony, near the border with Liberia, has become increasingly chaotic as rebel groups, Liberian mercenaries fighting on both sides and ethnic militias have formed groups to loot and kill. Heavy fighting broke out in the western town of Bangolo on Friday, north of French positions at Duekoue. Rebels said many civilians were killed in an attack that they repulsed. Ivory Coast's army said it was not behind the attack.
sounds like everyone's trying to get the upper hand at the "peace" table — nice Rooters scare quotes, huh?
| Civilians are always so much easier to kill than the guys with the guns, aren't they? |
About 3,000 French troops are in Ivory Coast to protect the remaining French citizens and to police a shaky cease-fire line. The French army in the west said it took seven hours to beat back the rebel attacks.
| Perhaps Jacques and Dominique should consider sending some air support? |
"It is urgent that the international community helps Ivory Coast put an end to the disorder in the west of the country," said Jules Yao Yaoa, a spokesman for Ivory Coast's army. "We must, above all, stop what is starting to look like the shifting of Liberia's own conflict onto Ivorian territory and the risk of tribal war."
where in Africa isn't there a risk of tribal war?...jeez
| But there's always carnage if Charles Taylor's involved. Add in a few turbans and the situation's worse. I think we've pretty well established by now that the "international community" isn't going to do squat for anybody that doesn't involve passing gas... |
Civil war broke out in the world's leading cocoa-growing nation after a failed coup in September. Several thousand people have died since then, and more than a million people have fled to other countries or to safer areas of Ivory Coast. Months of talks have failed to stop the fighting, despite a truce signed in October by the main rebel faction, the Patriotic Movement of Ivory Coast, and another truce signed in January by the two rebel groups in the western part of the country. The meeting in Ghana brought together all 10 parties to a French-brokered deal reached in late January.
Another of Dominique's "triumphs of diplomacy"
The three rebel groups and seven political parties, including President Laurent Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front, removed some of the obstacles to implementing that earlier accord. The parties agreed to the creation of a National Security Council made up of one representative for each of the 10 signatories, the army, the paramilitary gendarmerie and the police force, as well as Gbagbo and Prime Minister Seydou Diarra. "We hope that for once everybody can respect their undertakings. This is the key for a true peace," said Guillaume Soro, leader of the Patriotic Movement of Ivory Coast.
| Figger the odds on that happening, buddy... |
The council will nominate the ministers of defense and security, but Gbagbo will make the final decision. The parties agreed that Gbagbo would delegate some executive authority to Diarra, who will head a transitional government until elections that are due in 2005. |