Articles about Abidjan - latimes At least 60 dead in Ivory Coast stampede January 1, 2013 | By Robyn Dixon JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - At least 60 people died and about 200 were injured Tuesday in a stampede that followed a fireworks display at a football stadium in the Ivory Coast capital, Abidjan, according to emergency officials. Most of the dead and injured were children and teenagers. The stampede happened in the early hours of the morning as crowds were leaving the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium after a New Year's Eve fireworks display ended about 2 a.m. It is not known what triggered the stampede, officials said. Advertisement New Ivory Coast president faces divided country; fighting continues in Abidjan April 12, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Ivory Coast's new leader took charge of a divided country Tuesday, facing continued fighting in some neighborhoods of its commercial capital and a growing humanitarian crisis.

President Alassane Ouattara confronts the challenge of convincing skeptical opponents, including the 46% of the electorate who voted last fall for his rival, that he's not a stooge of France or the West and is strong enough to unite his African nation's disparate political forces. Nearly 2 million people were displaced by weeks of fighting when his rival, former President Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down. WORLD New Ivory Coast president faces divided country; fighting continues in Abidjan April 12, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Ivory Coast's new leader took charge of a divided country Tuesday, facing continued fighting in some neighborhoods of its commercial capital and a growing humanitarian crisis. President Alassane Ouattara confronts the challenge of convincing skeptical opponents, including the 46% of the electorate who voted last fall for his rival, that he's not a stooge of France or the West and is strong enough to unite his African nation's disparate political forces. Nearly 2 million people were displaced by weeks of fighting when his rival, former President Laurent Gbagbo, refused to step down.

WORLD U.N., French troops strike military bases in Ivory Coast April 5, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times United Nations and French military helicopters in Ivory Coast attacked two military bases in Abidjan, along with the presidential palace and residence, undercutting Laurent Gbagbo's desperate fight to retain power after an election the international community says he lost. The attacks came as forces loyal to Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, announced a big "final push" to drive him from office, with fighters gathering at the edge of Abidjan, the nation's sprawling commercial capital. NEWS 2 Zaire Officials Fired February 13, 1987 | Associated Press Zaire President Mobutu Sese Seko has fired two high-ranking officials for what was described by Radio Zaire as a breach of party discipline. Kinshasa Gov. Mbuji Wa Mbombo and Vunduame To Pemako, the state commissioner for territorial administration, were relieved of their posts, the broadcast monitored in Abidjan said. It did not give details of their dismissal.

WORLD At least 60 dead in Ivory Coast stampede January 1, 2013 | By Robyn Dixon JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - At least 60 people died and about 200 were injured Tuesday in a stampede that followed a fireworks display at a football stadium in the Ivory Coast capital, Abidjan, according to emergency officials. Most of the dead and injured were children and teenagers. The stampede happened in the early hours of the morning as crowds were leaving the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium after a New Year's Eve fireworks display ended about 2 a.m. It is not known what triggered the stampede, officials said. TRAVEL Success Story Sent From Ivory Coast June 8, 1986 | GENA REISNER, Reisner is a New York City free-lance writer. We entered the West African village of round thatched huts just before dusk and went first to greet the chief, an old, toothless man in a long robe, gracious and dignified. Then the panther dance began. Strange instruments of calabash, wood and metal led a procession of cartwheeling boys and dancing girls.

Suddenly the panther-men and their cubs leaped in, covered from cat's ears to paws in tawny spots. WORLD Ivory Coast clashes leave 20 dead December 17, 2010 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Ivory Coast's election standoff tilted dangerously toward renewed civil war Thursday with reports of heavy gunfire in the commercial capital as security forces clashed with supporters of an opposition leader. At least 20 people were killed in the violence, government officials told state television. There were reports of fighting in Abidjan near the hotel that serves as headquarters for Alassane Ouattara, the opposition leader seen by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and others as the rightful winner of last month's presidential election. WORLD Rival presidents each sworn in after disputed Ivory Coast election December 4, 2010 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Ivory Coast's election was supposed to reunify and stabilize a country that recently fought a bitter civil war. Instead, there was a bizarre standoff Saturday: rival presidents inaugurated in dueling ceremonies and different electoral bodies promoting different winners.

The U.S., United Nations and European Union say that opposition leader Alassane Ouattara won. But the Ivory Coast army is backing the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to give up power when the country's electoral commission announced he'd lost. WORLD U.N., French forces hit sites in Ivory Coast April 10, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times United Nations and French helicopters in Ivory Coast on Sunday attacked the home and presidential palace of the country's longtime leader, who has refused to step down since an election in November in which the U.N. says he was defeated. The attacks on Laurent Gbagbo's residence and the presidential palace mark the United Nations' second military intervention, after similar assaults a week earlier. The U.N. said Friday that forces loyal to Gbagbo used a cease-fire Tuesday as a ploy to consolidate and gain ground in Abidjan.

WORLD Ivory Coast leader trapped in Abidjan as fighting continues April 8, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Embattled Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo on Thursday remained trapped in his presidential residence in Abidjan under the protection of 200 heavily armed loyalists, while many other residents of the country's commercial capital struggled to find food. Fighting between Gbagbo supporters and opposition forces continued in some neighborhoods and pro-Gbagbo militias still dominated parts of the city. Residents who have been trapped inside for a week by the battle — many without food, cooking gas or electricity — were unable to get help Thursday, said a resident in the vicinity of Gbagbo's house, reached by phone. WORLD Guns silent in Ivory Coast but fear persists April 5, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times When the soldiers left their battle positions and the guns fell silent Tuesday morning in the Cocody neighborhood of Abidjan around Ivory Coast's presidential palace, terrified residents didn't feel safe enough to go outside. Bands of uniformed soldiers and militias in civvies roamed the city, the nation's commercial capital.

It was anyone's guess whose side they were on and how dangerous they might be. The uniforms of the rival forces in the fierce fight for power are identical — and the allegiances of ragtag armed youth militias rampaging and looting shops and houses are equally unclear. WORLD Ivory Coast president battles on as rival's forces close in April 2, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Ivory Coast's defeated president, Laurent Gbagbo, staged a last stand in the commercial capital of Abidjan on Friday as his rival's forces attacked his home, the presidential palace and two military bases. With most of the top military commanders having deserted him, many observers said it was a matter of hours — days at most — before Gbagbo fell. His whereabouts were unknown. Witnesses reported heavy fighting in Gbagbo's upscale residential neighborhood of Cocody as the Republican Guard and loyal fighters battled to repel his rival's forces.

WORLD Ivory Coast's president-elect says his troops are outside key city April 1, 2011 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times The internationally recognized winner of Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election said Thursday that his forces were outside the nation's commercial capital, Abidjan, after taking control of much of the country, and he called on his rival's army to join him. "It is time to rejoin your brothers-in-arms of the Republican Forces. The country is calling you," Alassane Ouattara, who won a United Nations-certified election in November, said in a television address. Ouattara said the aim of the offensive was to remove incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to relinquish power, and restore democracy. WORLD Ivory Coast clashes leave 20 dead December 17, 2010 | By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times Ivory Coast's election standoff tilted dangerously toward renewed civil war Thursday with reports of heavy gunfire in the commercial capital as security forces clashed with supporters of an opposition leader. At least 20 people were killed in the violence, government officials told state television.

There were reports of fighting in Abidjan near the hotel that serves as headquarters for Alassane Ouattara, the opposition leader seen by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and others as the rightful winner of last month's presidential election. NEWS Market Focus : Ivory Coast Tries a Radical Formula for Fiscal Recovery : Alassane Ouattara had to start from zero when he took hold of his country's economic reins eight months ago. Now, international bankers say his policies may have implications for the rest of Africa. November 6, 1990 | MICHAEL A. HILTZIK, TIMES STAFF WRITER The bittersweet scent of raw cocoa awaiting shipment overseas still permeates the huge lagoon-side port district here, a reminder that this is the commodity that created Africa's most stunning economic success story. But a few miles away in the business district known as "The Plateau," the windows of a top-floor office are sealed shut and the air conditioning is on full blast, the better to obliterate the chocolaty smell that symbolizes how reliance on a single major crop also came close to destroying the country.

Ivory Coast on brink of civil war - The Portland Press Herald increase font size Ivory Coast on brink of civil war Military operations are stepped up as forces loyal to the president claim to have seized a major city. By The Associated Press Read Article ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Forces loyal to Ivory Coast’s internationally recognized president claimed Monday to have seized a major city, an event that could mark the beginning of military operations in the West African country that has teetered for months on the brink of civil war. The area along the Liberian border has seen limited fighting for the last several weeks, but the latest push could open the way for troops loyal to Alassane Ouattara to march south to the strategic port of San Pedro, or east to the political capital of Yamoussoukro. Additional Photos Supporters of Alassane Ouattara raise their shoes, symbolizing the placing of a curse on incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, after participating in a special Muslim prayer in honor of the civilians killed in three months of post-election violence, at a mosque in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Friday. The Associated Press Search photos available for purchase: Photo Store → Capt.

Leon Alla, Ouattara’s defense spokesman, said the city of Duekoue fell Monday morning. Incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo refuses to give up power. Gbagbo adviser Toussaint Alain said from Paris that officials close to Gbagbo told him the city remained under army control and that the rebels were pushed back. He said at least 17 rebels died, a figure that could not be immediately confirmed. Seydou Ouattara, Ouattara’s military spokesman, said forces have also surrounded Guiglo, a nearby city where militias loyal to Gbagbo pillaged the United Nations refugee agency’s base last week. “It will surely fall today,” he said, adding that two other cities were being targeted. “The general offensive has begun, because we’ve realized that this is the only way to remove (Gbagbo),” said Ouattara, who is not related to the leader. Alain, the Gbagbo adviser, said Ouattara’s forces were also responsible for looting in the town. Monday marks four months since the November election. The international community and numerous observers, including the country’s electoral commission, say Ouattara won that poll.

But Gbagbo has steadfastly refused to give up power, drawing financial sanctions from the United States and the European Union. The standoff has led to daily fighting in different parts of the economic capital of Abidjan, where security forces loyal to Gbagbo have used heavy weapons against the population, acts the U.N. said could be crimes against humanity. The majority of the 462 killings that have been confirmed by the U.N. were carried out by Gbagbo’s security forces against Muslims and northerners perceived as being supporters of Ouattara, Human Rights Watch said in a report released this month. Pro-Ouattara fighters, however, were responsible for some revenge killings, the report said. More than 1 million people have fled the fighting, the U.N.’s refugee agency said last week, most of them leaving Abidjan, where many believe a bloody final battle for the presidency will take place. Numerous diplomatic efforts to negotiate a peaceful transfer of power have led nowhere, after delegations from the African Union and the regional West African bloc ECOWAS both endorsed Ouattara.

Share Abidjan | Public Radio International Public Radio International PRI's The World September 28, 2011 Ivory Coast has sworn in its new truth commission aimed at forging unity after the violence that followed 2010's disputed elections. PRI's The World April 12, 2011 Laurent Gbagbo is under arrest, but the stability of Ivory Coast is still uncertain. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with William Ahouma, who was a Gbagbo supporter and is now worried about the future. PRI's The World April 11, 2011 Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo has been detained in Abidjan and delivered to the headquarters of his elected successor Alassane Ouattara. Anchor Marco Werman talks with the BBC's Mark Doyle in Abidjan. PRI's The World April 05, 2011 The fighting in Libya and Ivory Coast has forced many people to leave. About 80 Ivorians are trapped on the Tunisian border, stranded between the country they are fleeing and their homeland also engulfed in armed conflict. Reporter Marine Olivesi reports.

PRI's The World April 05, 2011 Anchor Marco Werman talks to British business man Craig Hitchcock, who has decided to stay in Abidjan where he lives, in spite of the ongoing crisis in Ivory Coast. PRI's The World April 05, 2011 The fighting in Ivory Coast may be coming to an end, as entrenched leader Laurent Gbagbo is reportedly negotiating his own exit. Anchor Marco Werman gets details from the BBC's John James in the main city, Abidjan. PRI's The World April 04, 2011 Rival forces are poised for a showdown in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan. The BBC's John James is in the northern city of Bouake. PRI's The World April 01, 2011 Marco Werman talks to Ba Coulibay, an English teacher and translator living in Abidjan, about the conditions in his neighborhood in the embattled city. PRI's The World March 31, 2011 Forces loyal to the internationally recognized president of Ivory Coast have now entered the country's commercial capital, Abidjan.

Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the BBC's John James in Ivory Coast about the latest developments there. PRI's The World March 25, 2011 The United Nations is warning that escalating violence in Ivory Coast is taking a rising toll on the population there. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Hamadoun Touré, the UN's spokesperson in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. PRI's The World March 25, 2011 The United Nations is warning that escalating violence in Ivory Coast is taking a rising toll on the population there. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Hamadoun Touré, the UN's spokesperson in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. PRI's The World April 01, 2011 Marco Werman talks to Ba Coulibay, an English teacher and translator living in Abidjan, about the conditions in his neighborhood in the embattled city. PRI's The World April 05, 2011 The fighting in Ivory Coast may be coming to an end, as entrenched leader Laurent Gbagbo is reportedly negotiating his own exit. Anchor Marco Werman gets details from the BBC's John James in the main city, Abidjan.

PRI's The World April 11, 2011 Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo has been detained in Abidjan and delivered to the headquarters of his elected successor Alassane Ouattara. Anchor Marco Werman talks with the BBC's Mark Doyle in Abidjan. PRI's The World April 04, 2011 Rival forces are poised for a showdown in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan. The BBC's John James is in the northern city of Bouake. PRI's The World April 12, 2011 Laurent Gbagbo is under arrest, but the stability of Ivory Coast is still uncertain. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with William Ahouma, who was a Gbagbo supporter and is now worried about the future. PRI's The World March 31, 2011 Forces loyal to the internationally recognized president of Ivory Coast have now entered the country's commercial capital, Abidjan. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the BBC's John James in Ivory Coast about the latest developments there.

PRI's The World September 28, 2011 Ivory Coast has sworn in its new truth commission aimed at forging unity after the violence that followed 2010's disputed elections. PRI's The World February 07, 2011 The African Union is intervening in the disputed presidential election in Ivory Coast. Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo has refused to stand aside for the man the UN says won the poll. Anchor Lisa Mullins talks to the BBC's John James in Abidjan. W5 Team Pro-Ouattara rebels seize Ivory Coast capital Women show support to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo during a rally called by Ivory Coast youth minister Charles Ble Goude and others in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, March 26, 2011. (AP / Emanuel Ekra) The Associated Press Published Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:10PM EDT ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - Fighters supporting Ivory Coast's internationally recognized leader seized control of the nation's administrative capital on Wednesday, marking a symbolic victory after months of political chaos sparked when the country's former president refused to step down after an election.

The fall of Yamoussoukro caps a dramatic advance on the city from multiple directions this week by soldiers supporting Alassane Ouattara, but many believe a final bloody battle over the presidency is now destined for the commercial capital of Abidjan, only 230 kilometres away. Capt. Leon Alla, a defense spokesman for Ouattara, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that "the town of Yamoussoukro is in the hands of the Republican Forces." Also on Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to demand an immediate end to the escalating violence and impose sanctions on Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to relinquish the presidency, and his inner circle. With the sounds of gunshots cracking over the telephone line, a woman at the downtown Hotel La Residence in Yamassoukro said the rebel group loyal to Ouattara was doing a victory tour, shooting into the air. Residents came out into the streets to welcome them. The woman, who would not give her name for fear of reprisals, said soldiers and police had fled hours before the fighters arrived.

When they first entered the city center, there were cries of alarm, she said, but those turned to shouts of joy and whistles of approval when the pro-Ouattara gunmen were recognized. "Blitzkrieg seems to be the strategy, rather than fighting to clear every inch and hamlet," said Christian Bock, senior security analyst at Avascent International. "It will take an enormous amount of restraint to hold these forces back from moving onto Abidjan." Alla said the forces hoped for a similar lack of resistance upon reaching the country's largest city, which is divided into neighborhoods backing Ouattara and others supporting former leader Gbagbo. "Abidjan will be the same thing," he told the AP. "We'll enter without firing a shot because no FDS (pro-Gbagbo) soldier wants to die for Gbagbo." But there was fighting Wednesday morning when forces loyal to Gbagbo tried to fight off the rebels for 3 1/2 hours before fleeing Tiebissou, a town 35 kilometres from Yamoussoukro, according to a priest reached there by telephone. Another priest said he saw the bodies of three dead soldiers. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The medical director of Bouake, the rebel-held city further north, said he treated 15 wounded Wednesday from the fighting at Tiebissou shot by Gbagbo militiamen. "They were on a bus, all civilians, riding from Yamoussoukro to Bouake and the militia just sprayed the bus with gunfire," he said, quoting victims. International observers and governments around the world backed the results issued by Ivory Coast's electoral commission which showed Ouattara had won the November presidential election, but Gbagbo has refused to give up power after a decade in office. Up to 1 million people have fled the fighting which several analysts are now calling a civil war and at least 462 people have been killed since the vote. The two men have vied for the presidency for months, with Ouattara using his considerable international clout to financially and diplomatically suffocate Gbagbo. After the final round of diplomatic efforts had failed, the rebels launched a dramatic offensive this week, seizing control of a dozen towns since Monday alone. They advanced on three fronts: in the west, center and east of the country.

The west and central columns have converged on Yamoussoukro and may join the eastern front, which is heading directly for Abidjan, where the presidential palace is located as well as the guarded mansion where Gbagbo has lived during the past decade. Along Ivory Coast's eastern border with Ghana, the rebels secured Bondoukou and Abengourou Tuesday and got as far as Akoupe, which is only 113 kilometres from Gbagbo's seat of power in Abidjan. As the rebels advanced, Gbagbo spokesman Don Mello called for a cease-fire and mediation, telling that Radio France Internationale that the army has adopted a strategy of tactical withdrawal. He warned, however, that Gbagbo's forces could use their "legitimate right of defense." Asked about the cease-fire offer, Ouattara's political party said it was necessary to resort to legitimate force. "All peaceful avenues to convince Laurent Gbagbo of his defeat have been exhausted," said the statement issued Tuesday. Late Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on the U.N. peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast to "use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence ...

including to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population." The resolution also slapped a travel ban and asset freeze on Gbagbo, his wife, and three key aides. Ouattara, whose parents hail from thew country's north, had long tried to distance himself from the rebels based there who fought in a brief civil war almost a decade ago that left the country split in two. The fighters say they have taken up his cause of their own volition and say they plan to fight until the democratically elected leader is able to assume office. While moving on Yamoussoukro and Abidjan, the rebels have also been advancing toward the seaport of San Pedro. While San Pedro is a key objective for Ouattara, because it will allow him to export cocoa and lumber, and will allow the fighters to resupply by sea, the final battle will take place in the commercial capital of Abidjan, which is split into pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara neighborhoods. Fighting in these areas has been almost daily, with the army still loyal to Gbagbo routinely using mortars, tanks and machine guns against civilians.

In the past several weeks, fighters loyal to Ouattara have taken effective control of several northern districts in the city. The palm-lined boulevards snaking along Abidjan's lagoons have now become a puzzle of checkpoints, some manned by boys in Gbagbo T-shirts and others headed by men garlanded in amulets and fetishes, the sign of the northern rebels. Related Links Cote d'Ivoire: Applause and Anger as Gbagbo Falls Cote d'Ivoire: Applause and Anger as Gbagbo Falls , <a href="">United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network</a> Pin it Share ABIDJAN, Apr 11 (IRIN) - As news of Laurent Gbagbo's fall from Cote d'Ivoire's presidency spread around Abidjan, residents of the economic capital expressed a mixture of relief, anger and apprehension. Gbagbo, who had refused to hand over the presidency to Ouattara, was arrested on 11 April. Reports say he was detained by pro-Ouattara forces, who took him together with his wife and son to the hotel where Ouattara has lived since the disputed elections last year.

The political stalemate has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, and residents of cities like Abidjan are having to cope without adequate water, food and electricity. The situation, aid workers warned, would get worse unless the standoff was ended quickly and the country returned to normality. Albertine, a midwife who hails from the Cocody District of the city, scene of the fiercest fighting in recent days, said Alassane Ouattara’s victory as president was tainted because of allegations of French intervention. France denies its forces took part in arresting Gbagbo. “It is a huge disappointment to me that things turned out like this thanks to the direct implication of France,” Albertine told IRIN. “Frankly, I don’t see Alassane Ouattara as the man to bring the population together.” She accused Côte d’Ivoire’s elected president of being the "instigator" of the country’s problems and the Forces Nouvelles, the former rebels allied to Ouattara, of robbing people’s property in the north, killing civilians in the west and looting and burning houses of alleged Gbagbo supporters in Abidjan. “My heart is full of sorrow,” said Albertine.

“This crisis is far from over.” Stéphane, a university student, also insisted that it was premature to talk of problems being solved. “To think that all this has ended is a delusion,” he warned. “The Ouattara camp may have won a battle, but not the war.” Stephane too cited French involvement as a major stigma for Ouattara, complicating his stated mission to reconstruct the country. “Before we can even talk about the future, we should think about what will happen this month. Those images of Gbagbo under arrest are certain to have his supporters up in arms.” Ahmed, an unemployed youth from the district of Adjamé, was more optimistic. “You have to understand that a page has been turned. Ivoirians have to come together to build a new country. You have to realize it’s not going to be easy because of the huge social breakdown we have seen. But we have to rebuild our society.” Ahmed talked of the destruction of the Abobo-Adjamé university, one of many such institutions completely wrecked by the fighting, as typical of the things that needed to be rebuilt.

”The first priority for Ivoirians in building peace is to seek forgiveness from each other." Pascal, an engineer based in Yopougon, another district that has witnessed fierce clashes, drew parallels with the coup staged by Robert Guei against then President Henri Konan Bédié in December 1999, warning that the future was still unclear. “You cannot see Gbagbo’s arrest and Ouattara’s arrival in office as any kind of success,” said Pascal. “I believe we should be ready for the worst. There are so many people with arms, along with soldiers who have fled to unknown destinations.” Pascal said the recent news of massacres in the west, widely blamed on pro-Ouattara forces, represented “an open wound that will be difficult to close in this country.” The reports of extreme violence in the west, notably in and around the town of Duékoué, documented at length by Human Rights Watch and in the international press, have led to serious critiques of Ouattara’s military backers, which have overshadowed his appeals for reconciliation and promises of full enquiries into violence committed during the crisis.

Bouaké jubilant In Bouaké, 350km north of Abidjan, news of Gbagbo’s arrest brought people of all ages out onto the streets, cheering and chanting amid blaring horns. The city - whose population is ethnically mixed - has served as the capital of territory held by the Forces Nouvelles from the rebellion in September 2002. Amidst the jubilation, some admitted a reluctance to celebrate prematurely, wanting confirmation that the news was real. People in Bouaké had followed the growing violence in Abidjan with mounting concern. Ibou*, a youth who fled Abidjan for Bouaké in March, recalled witnessing a man being burned alive by what he said were pro-Gbagbo militants. Ibou said that during the crisis, non-Ivoirians from other West African countries and people with northern names had been prominent victims of a “new law” nicknamed “Article 125 - 100 CFA francs worth of petrol, 25 for a box of matches.” “We will be celebrating until dawn,” one vendor said. He called out to would-be customers: “Come on, bring your money.

I have to buy a good chicken to celebrate tonight.” Traoré Nabintou, a 28-year-old student, did not hide her pleasure at Gbagbo’s demise. “Because of Gbagbo I’ve got no job, I’m still a student,“ she told IRIN, explaining that despite obtaining her baccalaureate in 2006, lack of job opportunities had forced her into continuing her studies. “Gbagbo is a criminal - he’s a dictator,” said Traoré. “It’s great that he’s out.” She predicted rapid improvements for Côte d’Ivoire, saying the main culprit was out of the way. “Reuniting the country will not be a problem now that he’s gone. Those who were with Gbagbo, it was strictly for personal gain, not because they loved Gbagbo… They are going to ally themselves now with the other side – you’ll see. That’s already started.” A frequent accusation against Gbagbo was that he had forced people apart, creating rifts and ruptures where there had been peace.

Dembélé Mokhtar, a blacksmith in his thirties, said: “If Gbagbo goes, any divisions in the population are going with him. He sowed division in the country.” Bamba Mamadou, a soldier, highlighted Ivoirians’ desire for unity. “If you look around you’ll see we are one people - we get along,” he said. “Gbagbo wanted to divide people, but he’s not God. What God hasn’t done, Gbagbo can’t do.” Diarassouba, 21, a student born and raised in Bouaké, sounded a warning note. “The problem is not Gbagbo - the problem is the post-Laurent Gbagbo [situation]. So many people have been hurt by this crisis - some will want vengeance. This will not be easy. I wonder whether Ouattara will really be able to manage this – especially the divided army. The main problem is in the national army. Alassane must work on bringing order to the armed forces.

He didn’t anticipate all this in his plans.” Diarassouba was critical of the Forces Nouvelles' behaviour since they took over the north in September 2002, an occupation he had witnessed from the start. “Here in Bouaké we have seen excessive abuses, divisions and killings from the rebel side… There are too many rogues in this group and that has to be cleaned up.” *not his real name World News - ABC News Radio ABC News Radio Entries in Ivory Coast (13) Tuesday Share Article HERVE SEVI/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A crush of people has killed at least 61 party-goers — most of them children — following New Year’s eve celebrations in the city of Abidjan in Ivory Coast. Officials say over 200 were injured in a stampede of people who had been watching fireworks at the African country’s sports stadium. State broadcaster RTF 1 reported that the crush occurred when party goers were leaving Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in the country’s biggest city. Firefighter Colonel Sakho Issa told the station that many of the victims were suffocated after becoming trapped in a crush of people trying to return home.

Many of the injured taken to a nearby hospital were also children, according to news agencies. One of the injured told Reuters that security forces had tried to disperse the crowds, causing panic during which people fell and were trampled. President Alassane Ouattara has visited the scene, declaring New Year’s Day to be a day of mourning in the West African state. A government investigation into what caused the accident is underway. Hours after the stampede, soldiers patrolled the site, where victims’ clothes, shoes and other debris littered the street.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 1:01PM by Research Topics: Ivory Coast Exodus Grows As Violence Escalates In Ivory Coast - VOA - March 19, 2011 Ivory Coast Fighting Moves In on Defeated President - "Ivory Coast has been rocked by months of post-electoral turmoil after presidential incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down despite losing to Alassane Ouattara in the November vote." - Time - March 15, 2011 Ivory Coast president nationalizes coffee and cocoa industry - " Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, who is fighting to keep a political title the United Nations says isn't his, on Monday nationalized the nation's two main cash crops, coffee and cocoa, according to state-run television." - CNN - March 8, 2011 Ivory Coast Massacre: Army Mows Down Female Protesters - "After a third week of running gun battles in Abidjan, the former pearl of West Africa looks to be sliding irretrievably toward a repeat of the 2002 civil war that divided the country into a government-controlled south and rebel-held north."

 - Time - March 4, 2011 Ivory Coast: Fresh gun battles erupt in main city - "Gunfire and explosions shook Ivory Coast's main city on Wednesday as forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo pushed back into an area where gunmen backing his presidential rival repelled them a day before." - The Standard - Feb 24, 2011 Fighting Spreads as Ivory Coast Ceasefire Collapses - "Ivory Coast is moving closer to a return to civil war with the collapse of a ceasefire in western provinces and the spread of fighting in the commercial capital, Abidjan." - VOA - Feb 24, 2011 Posted by John Eagles at 4:19 AM Violence still haunts the streets of Abidjan - France 24 Violence still haunts the streets of Abidjan Text by Jean-Baptiste Marot Latest update : 2011-04-14 One step at a time, Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan is seeking a return to normal life after becoming the focus of a pitched battle between rivals for the Ivorian presidency.

FRANCE 24 reports from the struggling city. Life in Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan is returning to a semblance of normality after becoming the focus of a pitched battle between rivals for the Ivorian presidency. Basic services such as water and electricity have been restored in some neighbourhoods, two days after former president Laurent Gbagbo was forcibly removed from power after months of refusing to cede the presidency to Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognised winner of a November run-off. Abidjan's empty port Photo: Jean-Baptiste Marot/ FRANCE 24. Photo: Jean-Baptiste Marot/ FRANCE 24. Photo: Jean-Baptiste Marot/ FRANCE 24. Across the city, shops and businesses are starting to reopen, and the communal taxi system is operating again. These small signs of progress have been confirmed by the leader of France’s Licorne (Unicorn) force in the country, Commander Frédéric Daguillon, whose troops now have a new mission – to restart commercial activity in Abidjan. Not everything is functioning as it should.

Activity at Abidjan’s port, one of the biggest and most important in West Africa, remains at a standstill . The port should be back in business sometime soon, possibly by Monday, according to military sources. Licorne sanctuary to close For the foreigners in Abidjan, a dubious sign of the return to normalcy will be the closure of the Licorne military base to the civilians who have been sheltering there. People who have been camping out at the base since March 31, when forces loyal to Ouattara entered the city, have been told to pack their bags and leave before the weekend. But not everyone is in a hurry to go home. Of the 1,900 civilians living in army tents at the base, some 1,300 remain. Many feel the situation in Abidjan is still far from safe. This is particularly true for people from the residential districts of the city that were most affected by the recent violence, including looting and pillaging at the height of the crisis. One Lebanese businessman, from Abidjan’s Riad neighbourhood, sent his wife and children back to Beirut before seeking refuge at the Licorne base as the battle raged across the city.

If he has to leave, he says, it will only be to stay with friends for a few days before heading back home himself. Among those who are impatient to get out is Georges, a French-Ivorian businessman, who was rescued by French troops early in the week as he took refuge inside the Saint-Michel d’Adjamé Catholic church at the height of the violence. But even if some are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, calm has not returned to Abidjan, despite Ouattara’s promise on Tuesday to restore order to the streets. In one sign that violence remains a common currency in the city, just two days before the camp is scheduled to be closed, a young Ivorian appeared at the gates, looking for urgent medical help for a gunshot wound to the leg.

UN: Grenade Attack Kills One in Ivory Coast Commercial Capital UN: Grenade Attack Kills One in Ivory Coast Commercial Capital March 15, 2011 8:00 PM A man points to a burnt shop near Williamsville after a clash between Ivorian security forces and pro-Outtara fighters in Abidjan, March 15, 2011 Share Email to a Friend Print The United Nations said a grenade attack has killed one person and wounded 18 in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan. With violence spreading, the U.N.-certified winner of November's presidential election said he is giving the incumbent president one "last chance" to resolve the crisis peacefully. The United Nations mission in Ivory Coast said a UN clinic is treating 18 people, including three women and a baby, who were wounded by a grenade thrown by an unidentified person in the Attecoube neighborhood near Abidjan's central business district. A written statement said one person was killed at the scene. The U.N. is calling on all parties to exercise restraint and stop the fighting, which it says is making it more difficult to resolve the country's political crisis.

Former prime minister Alassane Ouattara said he is offering incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo a truth and reconciliation commission, a national unity government, and a combined armed forces in a move to avoid a return to civil war. The offer follows recommendations by the African Union, which last week certified Ouattara as the country's duly-elected president. Ouattara made the offer in a television broadcast from the Abidjan hotel where he is guarded by U.N. peacekeepers. "To President Laurent Gbagbo, Ouattara says he would like to say that, in the best interests of the nation, it is time to abide by the will of the voters of Ivory Coast and appeals from civil society groups, religious leaders, West African leaders, the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations," said a translator of Ouattara's remarks. "Mr. Ouattara says Mr. Gbagbo must understand that for himself and his associates, this is the last chance for a peaceful and honorable exit. This, Mr. Ouattara says, is Mr.

Gbagbo's personal responsibility." Gbagbo is refusing to yield power because he maintains he was re-elected when a constitutional council of his allies annulled as fraudulent nearly 10 percent of all ballots cast. Weeks of renewed fighting in Abidjan is now spreading from pro-Ouattara neighborhoods to pro-Gbagbo neigborhoods. There also is fighting near the Liberian border between rebels who back Ouattara and government troops who are still loyal to Gbagbo. In his address, Ouattara pledged to reconcile the daughters and sons of Ivory Coast. "In keeping with the African Union decision, Mr. Ouattara says he will form a government of national unity and reconciliation that brings together the most competent people from civil society and all parties, including Mr. Gbagbo's, for the country's recovery," said a translator of Ouattara's remarks. "Mr. Ouattara says it is imperative that Ivorians learn again how to live together in peace. In this spirit, he says he will encourage dialogue among all political leaders to maintain an atmosphere of confidence and peace and make reforms to consolidate democracy," said a translator of Ouattara's remarks. "Mr.

Ouattara says reconciliation in Ivory Coast must be accompanied by forgiveness and mutual respect. But in order to properly honor the memory of those killed in this political violence and ensure their families' compensation, he says a truth and reconciliation commission will be put in place as quickly as possible," said a translator of Ouattara's remarks. The United Nations says post-electoral violence has killed more than 400 people. Human Rights Watch says a three-month campaign of organized violence by soldiers and militia loyal to Gbagbo may constitute war crimes.

Question: Abidjan is the former capital and a major battleground of what civil-war-torn nation in 2011?
Answer: Ivory Coast