Gbagbo must go, says former rebel chief as Ivorian power crisis rages on

PARIS, Monday

The head of the former rebel movement that split Cote d’Ivoire, now supporting one of two “presidents” disputing rule of the country, said today that Laurent Gbagbo must go.

Mr Guillaume Soro, who backs fellow former prime minister Alassane Ouattara’s claim to have won last month’s election, said he had asked African Union envoy Thabo Mbeki to persuade Mr Gbagbo to step aside.

“There must be a transition of power,” Mr Soro told France’s Europe 1 radio. “There’s no question of dividing Ivory Coast.’’

Asked whether he would be ready to reactivate his forces to “unseat” Mr Gbagbo, Mr Soro said: “If he pushes us to it, we’ll have no other choice,” but insisted he was seeking a peaceful outcome.

Both Mr Gbagbo — the incumbent since 2000 — and Mr Ouattara claim to have won the November 28 poll, and both have declared themselves Cote d’Ivoire’s new leader, plunging the West African state into a new crisis.

Mr Mbeki has flown to Abidjan on behalf of the African Union to mediate a solution, and the bulk of the international community, including the United Nations and former colonial power France, backs Mr Ouattara.

For his part, Gbagbo has retained the loyalty of the head of the army. Mr Soro was leader of a 2002 rebellion by northern forces opposed to Gbagbo’s rule.

There has since been a peace accord between the parties, and he has served as prime minister in a power-sharing government since 2007.

He has now resigned from Gbagbo’s administration, but would continue as prime minister under Ouattara if the latter succeeds in forming a government.

“This regime is finished. It has been condemned. Its fate has been sealed by the sovereign people of Ivory Coast,” Mr Soro said, while adding that Ouattara would guarantee Gbagbo “the privileges of a former head of state.”

Mr Soro also promised to do whatever he could to protect the 15,000 French citizens in Ivory Coast, mostly in the restive commercial capital Abidjan, while adding that “for the moment they are not in danger.”

Meanwhile, the World Bank and the African Development Bank said today the volatile situation in Cote d’Ivoire raised doubts about the “usefulness and effectiveness” of their aid programmes to the troubled nation.

“We wish to continue working with the people of Cote d’Ivoire in the fight against poverty but it is difficult to do so effectively in an environment of prolonged uncertainty and tension,” the two banks said in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, the European Union threatened today to slap targeted sanctions against individuals in Cote d’Ivoire if the country fails to quickly resolve a political crisis that has fuelled fears of civil war.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton stressed that United Nations resolutions provide for sanctions “against those who obstruct the peaceful transition and the election,” said a European Commission spokeswoman.

“Catherine Ashton is ready to follow procedures which would envisage sanctions if there is no quick resolution to this crisis,” spokeswoman Angela Filote told a news briefing.

In Paris, the French foreign ministry called on the world’s leading cocoa producer to find “an orderly, calm and dignified transition.” Last week Ashton recognised Mr Ouattara as the victor of the election. (AFP)