So when we are going to bomb the Ivory Coast?

[High_Gravity]

People in the Ivory Coast are being killed by a tyrant, so when we are sending our cruise missiles and fighter jets over there? supposedly we are bombing Libya to do the right thing and help people, so we need to get over to the Ivory Coast and help those folks as well.

Civilians Die as Ivory Coast Braces for a Defeated President's Last Stand

At least 52 civilians have been killed in the past week amid escalating violence instigated by an authoritarian President who refuses to heed the will of his people. No, not in Libya, or Yemen, or Bahrain, but in the West African nation of Ivory Coast, which is struggling for media attention amid crises elsewhere.

"Ivory Coast isn't considered strategically important enough on the global stage — it is not a Libya, so to speak," one Western diplomat points out. "And that, quite simply, is why it hasn't got the attention it deserves from the international community."

The erstwhile beacon of prosperity and stability in West Africa has been held hostage for five months by incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to cede power after losing a November runoff presidential election. Instead, he has mobilized the state apparatus and a fanatical core of young militants against the citizens who voted for his challenger, Alassane Ouattara. Daily battles rage between a burgeoning pro-Ouattara insurgency in Abidjan known as the "invisible commandos," and the army, which backs Gbagbo. At least 460 deaths have been confirmed since mid-December, according to the U.N. mission there, known as ONUCI.

And the violence threatens to escalate as Gbagbo has urged his young backers to join the army en masse. In the main city of Abidjan, some 15,000 youths, mostly unemployed and illiterate, gathered at the army headquarters on March 22. "I'm prepared to defend my country, which is under attack from foreigners," unemployed 17-year-old Venance Kouakou, who rushed to sign up, told TIME. Foreigners, he added, were all those who "voted against Gbagbo, the true President."

Later, a group of youths marching through Abidjan's once clean, palm-lined streets, chanted loudly, "With our Kalashs, we will target the enemy!" Gbagbo's popularity has long centered on xenophobic rhetoric against migrants from other African countries. Ivorians from the north of the country — where Ouattara has popular support — are considered foreigners by Gbagbo's supporters because many have migrant roots, giving the threat of violence a distinctly xenophobic character.

Read more: Ivory Coast Braces for Civil War as Violence Escalates - TIME

 

[JBeukema]

The Communist Party agrees with you

 

[FuelRod]

If you can figure out how to run a car on Ivory you're on to something.

 

[High_Gravity]

If you can figure out how to run a car on Ivory you're on to something.

Yeah no shit huh, if we did use Ivory for that we'd have the 101st Air Borne over there already.

 

[High_Gravity]

UN: One million flee Cote d'Ivoire violence

Up to one million people have fled Ivory Coast to safer areas amid fears of an all-out civil war, the UN refugee agency has said.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other aid agencies said they have been unable to access the country's west due to the fighting in the capital and other areas.

It cited estimates of between 700,000 and one million people displaced, largely from the city of Abidjan, including the heavily-populated districts of Abobo, Adjamame, Williamsville and Yopougon.

"The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fuelled by fears of all-out war"

Melissa Fleming, UNHCR spokesperson

"The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fuelled by fears of all-out war," Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on Friday said in Geneva.

She said the closure of banks and businesses is also causing economic chaos in the West African country, with rising unemployment and food prices.

Just over a week ago the UNHCR put the number of displaced in Ivory Coast at around half a million, Fleming said, adding that the latest estimates were made by the agency's own staff on the ground.

The UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) warned that the situation in the rural west of Ivory Coast was uncertain, with fighting going on in the area.

Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba, a UNHCR spokeswoman for Africa, said new pockets of displaced people were being found inside Abidjan daily, although many appeared to be fleeing to the north, centre and east of Ivory Coast.

"It's our best estimate," she told AFP. "Those leaving Abidjan are many more than those staying."

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) revealed on Friday that it was setting up aid for just 3,000 people found in the western town of Toulepleu during an evaluation mission about a week ago.

The town normally has 40,000 to 50,000 inhabitants, but most had fled nearby or into Liberia, the agency said.

"The town is devastated, no house has been spared and the hospital was abandoned and looted," Dominique Liengme, the ICRC Abidjan delegation chief, said.

UN: One million flee Cote d'Ivoire violence - Africa - Al Jazeera English

 

[Shadow]

If you can figure out how to run a car on Ivory you're on to something.

I guess the chocolate just ain't good enough?

 

[California Girl]

We could if the UN would authorize it. Sadly, they won't... because countries like Russia and China use their vetoes to stop us. You are aware that we need to have a UN Resolution to undertake such actions, right? And you are aware that we have tried to get resolutions passed to help these countries before, right? And you do know that each time, Russia or China have vetoed it, right?

OK. So now that I've given y'all a few cold hard facts to ignore, please carry on bullshitting.

 

[Sallow]

Kinding hoping that if Qaddafi gets to be blown to bits (hopefully soon) like the people he blew to bits on the Lockerbie plane..it will send a message to the rest of the scumbags that maybe the same fate awaits them if they continue their shit.

 

[Trajan]

well, the french don't seem to care much for UN approval, unless it gives them an out to help a friend

from 2003-

But the French responded with a calculated attack, ordered by Jacques Chirac himself, on the Ivorian state. They destroyed its air force of two fighter jets and some helicopters on the tarmac in the capital of Yamoussoukro, predictably prompting enraged citizens to explode in huge anti-French protests. So far over 60 have been killed, and over 1000 injured, in anti-French rioting. The French say they will hold Gbagbo responsible for such riots, which is tantamount to saying they plan to get rid of him to better reassert neocolonial control.

On November 9 French forces opened fire on pro-government demonstrators in Abidjan, killing seven and injuring about 200. The Ivorian regime seems genuinely puzzled at the behavior of these hostile "peacekeepers." "We love France, it is a friendly country,"' declares the ambassador to France, Philippe Djangone-Bi, but he questions their right to "fire at our presidential palace, destroy our forces, humiliate us, and shoot at our civilians from helicopters." You might suppose that Ivory Coast would protest to the UN, but of course France wields veto power in the Security Council.

The UNSC has however issued a resolution condemning the killing of the nine Frenchmen, and demanding that the Ivorian government adhere to the 2003 French-brokered peace accord.
AfricaSpeaks.com - Bloody Intervention in Cte d'Ivoire

they went back in 04 and 08.....

 

[zzzz]

The United States will never intervene militarily in sub-Saharan Africa unless it is in response to a terrorist action perpetrated from that country.

 

[Trajan]

The United States will never intervene militarily in sub-Saharan Africa unless it is in response to a terrorist action perpetrated from that country.

but but but what if the UN says its ok?

 

[zzzz]

The United States will never intervene militarily in sub-Saharan Africa unless it is in response to a terrorist action perpetrated from that country.

but but but what if the UN says its ok?

Sub-Saharan Africa does not exist. Of all the places on this planet, that is one place that the US has no interest in, the government, the people, and the media. It may not be right but thats the way it is.

 

[Shadow]

The United States will never intervene militarily in sub-Saharan Africa unless it is in response to a terrorist action perpetrated from that country.

but but but what if the UN says its ok?

Sub-Saharan Africa does not exist. Of all the places on this planet, that is one place that the US has no interest in, the government, the people, and the media. It may not be right but thats the way it is.

The media has been reporting about the civil war there. I have posted several articles recently that I found online.

 

[High_Gravity]

We could if the UN would authorize it. Sadly, they won't... because countries like Russia and China use their vetoes to stop us. You are aware that we need to have a UN Resolution to undertake such actions, right? And you are aware that we have tried to get resolutions passed to help these countries before, right? And you do know that each time, Russia or China have vetoed it, right?

OK. So now that I've given y'all a few cold hard facts to ignore, please carry on bullshitting.

Thats the whole point though, when is the last time anyone has approached the UN to try and take Military action to help the people in the Ivory Coast? besides, we went into Iraq without UN authorization. If UN authorization was so critical like you say, we would have not invaded Iraq, China and Russia only veto things when they have certain interests in a country, China and Russia have business interests in Iraq and Libya which is why they were against those interventions.

 

[zzzz]

but but but what if the UN says its ok?

Sub-Saharan Africa does not exist. Of all the places on this planet, that is one place that the US has no interest in, the government, the people, and the media. It may not be right but thats the way it is.

The media has been reporting about the civil war there. I have posted several articles recently that I found online.

Some reports, yet there is not the same frequency and spotlight on the area. Why the avoidance of the area? We do get some strategic materials for the area and there is oil so we do have some national interests there.

 

[High_Gravity]

Sub-Saharan Africa does not exist. Of all the places on this planet, that is one place that the US has no interest in, the government, the people, and the media. It may not be right but thats the way it is.

The media has been reporting about the civil war there. I have posted several articles recently that I found online.

Some reports, yet there is not the same frequency and spotlight on the area. Why the avoidance of the area? We do get some strategic materials for the area and there is oil so we do have some national interests there.

Basically what it boils down to is this, if the US really wanted to get involved and help these people they would and UN authorization wouldn't be an issue, just look at Iraq, the UN said no and we still invaded it.

 

[FuelRod]

If you can figure out how to run a car on Ivory you're on to something.

I guess the chocolate just ain't good enough?

When the US is consuming 20 million barrels of chocolate milk a day I'll get back to you.

 

[zzzz]

The media has been reporting about the civil war there. I have posted several articles recently that I found online.

Some reports, yet there is not the same frequency and spotlight on the area. Why the avoidance of the area? We do get some strategic materials for the area and there is oil so we do have some national interests there.

Basically what it boils down to is this, if the US really wanted to get involved and help these people they would and UN authorization wouldn't be an issue, just look at Iraq, the UN said no and we still invaded it.

Yes, and that is the crux of the problem. Being the worlds only superpower gives us the power to do what we want when we want, whether anyone else approves or not. Not the right, just the power.

The problem with Libya is that we are not leading but are being dragged into it. We have no big national interests in Libya other than oil, and face it, whoever governs Libya is going to sell the oil. Like I said before we should have let the Euros and Arab countries taken care of the whole problem and stood on the sidelines. It is time for the US to get out of this world policeman mentality and start to focus on issues here at home. Spend money here not on missiles and war!

 

[High_Gravity]

Some reports, yet there is not the same frequency and spotlight on the area. Why the avoidance of the area? We do get some strategic materials for the area and there is oil so we do have some national interests there.

Basically what it boils down to is this, if the US really wanted to get involved and help these people they would and UN authorization wouldn't be an issue, just look at Iraq, the UN said no and we still invaded it.

Yes, and that is the crux of the problem. Being the worlds only superpower gives us the power to do what we want when we want, whether anyone else approves or not. Not the right, just the power.

The problem with Libya is that we are not leading but are being dragged into it. We have no big national interests in Libya other than oil, and face it, whoever governs Libya is going to sell the oil. Like I said before we should have let the Euros and Arab countries taken care of the whole problem and stood on the sidelines. It is time for the US to get out of this world policeman mentality and start to focus on issues here at home. Spend money here not on missiles and war!

I think the US did try to let the other countries take the lead but they are unable to do so, in most big Military campaigns other countries are used to letting us take the lead and them taking a support role, when is the last time the French led a Military campaign? besides a few exceptions like the Brits, Canadians, Aussies, Dutch etc. most foreign Militaries aren't even combat ready, now that we are in this we will end up doing the lions share, basically you are right, we should have sat this out because now since we are there, we will be shouldering the load as always.

 

[High_Gravity]

I have to search hard for any news on the Ivory Coast.

Britain announces emergency aid for Ivory Coast refugees

The British government has announced an emergency aid package for refugees fleeing violence in Ivory Coast amid concerns that the fighting could spread and destabilise west Africa.


The Department for International Development said it would provide £16m to humanitarian agencies to provide emergency aid to Ivory Coast and Liberia.


On Friday, the UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, estimated that between 700,000 and 1 million people could now be displaced following Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election last November. More than 100,000 people are estimated to have crossed the border into Liberia, around 62,000 of them arriving between 24 February and the middle of last week.


"Most refugees are seeking safety in Nimba County [in Liberia]. However, since this week, we have been seeing many more cross into Grand Gedeh County, further south. On Tuesday alone, more than 6,000 Ivorians entered the region and settled in remote areas in and around Janzon, Tuzon and Sweaken, including in villages that are inaccessible by car. The new arrivals fled from Blolequin," said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.


The news comes as Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognised winner of last year's election, rejected the representative chosen by the African Union to negotiate a settlement to the presidential crisis with incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, further raising the prospect of civil war in the country.


Fleming said that as well as avoiding being caught in the crossfire, some people told the UN they were leaving their homes because they "can no longer cope financially due to closures of banks and businesses, and resulting unemployment. Costs of food have risen, and there is little available in the markets."

Britain announces emergency aid for Ivory Coast refugees | Liz Ford | Global development | guardian.co.uk