WHAT ABOUT IVORY COAST? Obama deeply concerned but....na not going to apply his

[Robert]

doctrine to the slaughter of 1000 people or more Precisely an entire town.

No Oil?

 

[LibocalypseNow]

doctrine to the slaughter of 1000 people or more Precisely an entire town.

No Oil?

Another UN-Mandated disaster. They support an opposition that is as brutal if not more-so than the Government they're forcing out. I can only Pray we don't get involved with that mess. But who knows? I guess we'll see.

 

[Seawytch]

So ALL situations are exactly the same to you are they?

In order to intervene in the Ivory Coast, we WOULD have to put "boots on the ground". You cannot institute a "no fly zone" there.

Oh, and the Ivory Coast exports oil.

Principal exports are petroleum, cocoa, coffee, pineapples, tuna, rubber, and tropical woods.

Ivory Coast Economy

 

[waltky]

Interpeace warns western Ivory Coast continues to be vulnerable to violence...

Western Ivory Coast Remains Vulnerable to Violence
March 12, 2013 — A new report from the peacebuilding body Interpeace warns western Ivory Coast continues to be vulnerable to the type of violence that killed at least 1,000 people during the 2010-11 post-election conflict.

The Interpeace report draws from more than 300 interviews and focuses on the western regions of Guemon and Cavally, which were home to the worst massacre of the post-election violence. The violence began after former President Laurent Gbagbo failed to admit defeat in the November 2010 presidential runoff vote, sparking six months of fighting the United Nations says claimed more than 3,000 lives. According to the report, the main drivers of instability in the region include longstanding land conflicts, the role of ethnicity in politics, and the weakness of the state, especially the security forces. But the report also warns of widespread feelings of victimization among the population.

The region largely supported former president Gbagbo, and the new president - Alassane Ouattara - has been reluctant to rearm the police and the gendarmes. Instead, the military has taken the lead in providing security. The report's lead researcher, Severin Kouame, said weak state institutions in the west fueled suspicions the government was only serving Ouattara supporters while ignoring Gbagbo supporters. “The government must take into account its position. In the mind of certain parts of the population this government is a government of part of Ivorians. There is a need for the government, the state, to present itself as a government of all Ivorians,” said Kouame. A prominent example of state weakness is the case of Mount Peko National Park, which is occupied by a militia group that fought on Ouattara’s side during the conflict.

The wheelchair of Amelie Vlonhou, whose body lies nearby, sits beside a burned hut at the Dedjan campsite, near the banks of the Cavally River in western Ivory Coast, May 26, 2011.

Since last August, officials have promised at least twice to take action against the militia, led by a native of Burkina Faso named Amade Oueremi. Rights groups have accused the militia of carrying out grave crimes during the conflict, including playing a key role in the March 2011 massacre in the town of Duekoue, which was the single most lethal episode of the fighting. The continued impunity for Oueremi and his men has reinforced criticism that Ouattara is shielding his military backers from prosecution. Only Gbagbo supporters have been charged, despite evidence that crimes were committed on both sides. Kouame said Oueremi’s case captured many of the problems facing the region. “This situation is a kind of manifestation of the collapse of the state.

So the only thing to do is to reinforce the state - to reinforce the state capacity to procure security, to procure justice,” he said. Kouame also warned the problems could emerge in other parts of the country. Although the north is a stronghold for President Ouattara, it is similarly underserved by state institutions, which could lead to some of the same problems. “The same situation, the same factors exist in the north. When this kind of union around Mr. Ouattara will be stopped, these differences, these factors will appear. And we will have the same situation as in the west,” said Kouname. The report on the situation in the west was produced in partnership with the U.N. Development Program.

Source

 

[bucs90]

Republicans say we are broke. Thus, we can NOT afford another war. And, Republicans say negotiations and talking wont work. Only force will work.

Note to Republicans, yet again: WE CANNOT AFFORD YET ANOTHER WAR.

 

[Avatar4321]

Republicans say we are broke. Thus, we can NOT afford another war. And, Republicans say negotiations and talking wont work. Only force will work.

Note to Republicans, yet again: WE CANNOT AFFORD YET ANOTHER WAR.

if you havent noticed, it's Obama who has been attacking various nations the past 4 years.

 

[auditor0007]

doctrine to the slaughter of 1000 people or more Precisely an entire town.

No Oil?

Obama is not the one who got us into two wars. In case you haven't noticed, we have not gone to war in Syria either. As for Libya, our involvement was minimal at best. It's not our job to police the entire world.

 

[waltky]

New attacks in Ivory Coast...

New Ivory Coast Unrest Displaces Thousands
March 27, 2013 — In the past two weeks, three attacks have killed at least 13 people and displaced thousands in western Ivory Coast.

Local officials say the attacks in Ivory Coast were carried out by armed groups crossing the border from neighboring Liberia. Ivorian combatants and Liberian mercenaries fled into Liberia when Ivory Coast's post-election conflict ended nearly two years ago, and Human Rights Watch has accused them of involvement in sporadic attacks dating as far back as July 2011. The post-election conflict was sparked by the refusal of former President Laurent Gbagbo to concede defeat in the November 2010 vote against his successor, President Alassane Ouattara.

The recent attacks have been early-morning raids. On March 13, gunmen killed two soldiers and five civilians in the town of Zilebly. A raid on March 21 resulted in no deaths, though three assailants were arrested and weapons including AK-47s were recovered. Two days later, an attack on a village outside the town of Blolequin resulted in six deaths, three of them assailants. U.N. refugee agency senior protection officer Jackie Keegan says more than 6,000 people fled in response to the three attacks, and that roughly 2,700 were still displaced. “Many of these villages were entirely emptied during the post-election crisis and remained empty for months into 2011," said Keegan. "Both the communities that fled and the communities that are now hosting them are really just recovering now from that experience. And the destruction of villages and also of stocks, including grain stocks, is going to have a significant impact on their ability to reestablish themselves.”

Injured man lies on ground after clash with police at market in Abobo neighborhood in Abidjan

Of the estimated 2,700 displaced people, 1,700 are living with host families. Keegan noted they might need food “should the situation continue for much longer,” and said the World Food Program is evaluating the situation. The remaining 1,000 are living on four sites specifically designated for the displaced, where they have received food from local authorities and also vaccinations. Besides causing the most significant displacement in the region this year, the recent attacks have also disrupted the return of refugees from Liberia. The United Nations said the March 21 attack prevented a convoy of 160 Ivorians from making the trip back to their home country.

Keegan said the attacks could also discourage other refugees from making the decision to return. “Refugees, of course, have the right to make a decision about whether they are prepared to return at any moment, and it is natural that after a series of attacks of this sort that the number of candidates for return drops, which is what happened last year," Keegan added. "I think it is very natural - people start to ask questions about the durability of their return.” U.N. officials in Liberia said this week that they had temporarily halted the repatriation of refugees pending an improved security situation across the border.

Source

 

[bucs90]

We're broke. We cant afford more wars. We cant afford to be the source of military welfare for the rest of the world.

 

[uscitizen]

doctrine to the slaughter of 1000 people or more Precisely an entire town.

No Oil?

Reminds me of Reagan when Sadam used chemical WMD's on Iranians.

 

[waltky]

Gbagbo about to go on trial...

Laurent Gbagbo: Former Ivory Coast leader's trial to begin
28 Jan.`16 - The trial of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo for crimes against humanity is set to begin at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He faces charges relating to the country's civil conflict that erupted after he lost elections in 2010. The trial aims to "uncover the truth", ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told reporters at The Hague. Both Mr Gbagbo and his co-accused, former militia leader Charles Ble Goude, say they are innocent. "The trial is an opportunity for reconciliation," Mr Gbagbo's lawyer Emmanuel Altit said. "It is for this reason that he awaits it with confidence." A lawyer for Mr Ble Goude, who is accused of organising attacks on opposition supporters, described his client as a "man of peace".

A former university professor, Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after losing presidential elections​

A key test, by Anna Holligan, BBC News, the Hague

This may prove to be the most important trial in the ICC's history. The international court was established to end impunity and bring the most powerful leaders to justice. The first appearance of a former head of state is testament to the prosecutor's reach. And yet, despite casualties on both sides, not one of President Alassane Ouattara's supporters has been charged, leading to accusations of victor's justice.

During the pre-trial press briefing the victims' representative was asked how she could represent the victims when only half of those who suffered would have their voices heard. This high-profile trial will test the ability of the ICC to obtain reliable evidence from a country in which the government has a political interest in securing a guilty verdict. Can the suspects expect a fair trial if much of the evidence comes from their enemy?

MORE

 

[Jackson]

doctrine to the slaughter of 1000 people or more Precisely an entire town.

No Oil?

Obama doesn't give a shit about the Ivory Coast. The only things he cares about are his poll numbers. I think he should retire there though.

 

[Meathead]

Obama doesn't give a shit about the Ivory Coast. The only things he cares about are his poll numbers. I think he should retire there though.

That's not a bad idea. With 8 years of experience, he should be able to do a reasonable job as the leader of a banana republic.

 

[Jackson]

Obama doesn't give a shit about the Ivory Coast. The only things he cares about are his poll numbers. I think he should retire there though.

That's not a bad idea. With 8 years of experience, he should be able to do a reasonable job as the leader of a banana republic.

They are too smart to elect him over there. Their rule is no Kenyans can be on the ballot.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Côte d’Ivoire: First former head of state trial opens at ICC

Here is a good news story. Maybe Blair/Bush will get their day in court some day ?

 

[waltky]

Ivory Coast terrorist attack leaves 18 dead...

Several dead in Ivory Coast beach terror attack
Monday 14th March, 2016 - A group of Al Qaeda affiliated gunmen killed several people, including picnickers and swimmers, in three hotels in the beach resort city of Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, officials said Monday.

The attack on a beach close to the L'Etoile Sud Hotel at Grand Bassam resort outside the Ivorian capital Abidjan on a sunny Sunday a perfect holiday at the beach resort was the third major strike in West Africa since November. Witnesses said that swimmers and sunbathers had gathered along the seaside beaches and pools at the cluster of three hotels L'Etoile du Sud, the Wharf Hotel and Koral Beach at the start of a hot afternoon. Grand-Bassam, a former French colonial capital, is about 40 kilometers from the country's largest city and the capital, Abidjan. The gunmen killed 14 civilians and two men of the country's elite forces, the authorities said, adding six gunmen were also killed.

Online pictures and a video from the scene showed bodies strewn across the bloodstained sand with people fleeing amid chaos. French President Francois Hollande condemned what he called a "cowardly attack" and pledged French support to find out who was responsible for the attack. At least one French citizen was killed, he said. An Al Qaeda offshoot Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said it was behind the attack. The North African affiliate of Al Qaeda has targeted hotels in West Africa before.

The militant group praised three "knights" who had carried out the strike. However, there was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the number of attackers. In the past year, the group has claimed credit for hotel attacks in two countries bordering Ivory Coast -- Mali and Burkina Faso. The group has its roots in Algeria. "AQIM has escalated its operations in West Africa, specifically targeting Europeans, as well as other foreigners, in hotels and resorts," the SITE Intelligence Group said in a statement analyzing the attack Sunday.

France had earlier this year warned the authorities in Ivory Coast and Senegal of possible terror attacks in public areas. Soon after Sunday's attack, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a travel alert to its citizens. "On 13 March, there have been reports of an armed attack at Grand Bassam resort near Abidjan. You should avoid the area if possible. If you are in the vicinity follow the instructions of the security authorities," it said. "There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners," it added.

Several dead in Ivory Coast beach terror attack

See also:

Ivory Coast reels from extremist attack, boosts security
Mar 14,`16 -- Before the shooting started, an armed man stood quietly at the entrance to a beachfront restaurant, holding a Kalashnikov rifle and coolly surveying the crowd. Francois Tanon, who rents beach chairs to tourists at Ivory Coast's Grand-Bassam resort town, thought the man was a security guard.

A few minutes later, Tanon was talking to a customer when a bullet hit the client in the neck. "The patron I was speaking to fell down right in front of me," Tanon said. "The man that I saw before at the entrance, now I saw him down near the water, his gun in his hand, he was firing everywhere." In the end 18 were killed Sunday, leaving Grand-Bassam and all of Ivory Coast reeling from its first Islamic extremist attack. President Alassane Ouattara's government began work Monday to tighten security and prevent similar violence.

Ouattara presided over an emergency meeting with Cabinet ministers and his National Security Council on Monday. Following the meeting, the government revised the death toll to 15 civilians and three special forces, up from 14 and two respectively. Just three attackers were killed, instead of the six that was earlier announced on Sunday, Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said Monday. The lower death toll for the assailants agrees with the claim of responsibility from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, known as AQIM, which said Sunday that three attackers were killed. The extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to SITE Intelligence Group which monitors jihadi websites.

Local people stand near a taped off area that formed part of the crime scene outside the Nouvelle Paillote Hotel, one of the three hotels involved in an attack at Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast, Monday, March 14, 2016. Survivors of the first attack by Islamic extremists in Ivory Coast described scenes of confusion and fear as the jihadists gunned down defenseless civilians at a beachfront resort area.​

Many witnesses said they at first suspected the gunshots were fireworks being set off by holidaymakers. Only when victims began crumpling to the ground did they realize the beach was being targeted in an assault. The gunmen entered the beach from multiple directions, witnesses said. Frenchman Charles-Philippe d'Orleans said he was at the beach with a friend when he heard the first shot and he thought it was a firecracker; then he heard another, louder one. A security guard told beachgoers not to worry, that some youths had tried to enter the paid-access beach and that another guard had fired his weapon into the air, d'Orleans told French radio RTL.

But then more shooting broke out and d'Orleans and others hid behind a wall. Gunmen were "to the right, to the left, toward the road and toward the beach," d'Orleans said. He said that when the gunfire receded he and his friend sped away in a car. "Afterward we said 'Wow, we actually escaped something big,'" he said. The attack on Grand-Bassam was the first of its kind in Ivory Coast. Officials had been bracing for one in the wake of similar assaults by AQIM in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali. Those who make a living off tourism believed the attack on three hotels would deal the sector a huge blow. "They've really ruined it for us. With all that has happened, I don't think that the clients are going to come back now," Tanon said.

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