While I am still in Afghanistan and the Libyan War remains unguided another war is heating up. The Ivory Coast is expierencing its second civil war as the forces loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo are fighting against the Republican Forces lead by Alassane Ouattara, who is backed by much of the world including United Nations, African Union, the European Union, and the United States.
The situation was laid by the end of the First Ivorian Coast Civil War which saw the current de facto split of the country between the Christian south lead by President Gbagbo and the Muslim north, "Republican Forces" represented by Ouattara. Ouattara was initially declared the winner of the December 2010 presidential election but the results were invalidated by the southern controlled Constitution Council.
Low to medium level of violence occurred after the invalidating of the results with the much better armed Republican Forces reenforcing their position around the demarcation line. However, in the last week Republican Forces have pushed deep into the south. The religious angle of the conflict (currently in a tool stage) has erupted with massacres of Christians by Muslim Republicans to include the targeting of priests.
Army Recognition has created a Google Maps mashup showing the position of Gbagbo (red) and Ouattara (green) forces as well as clashes, French forces (blue), and other areas of interest. The map has been repeatedly updated and should be followed for any breaking events.
View Ivory Coast combat situation civil war in a larger map
The situation was laid by the end of the First Ivorian Coast Civil War which saw the current de facto split of the country between the Christian south lead by President Gbagbo and the Muslim north, "Republican Forces" represented by Ouattara. Ouattara was initially declared the winner of the December 2010 presidential election but the results were invalidated by the southern controlled Constitution Council.
 |
| Map of election results and line of demarcation from the first civil war. From Maps with the News. |
Army Recognition has created a Google Maps mashup showing the position of Gbagbo (red) and Ouattara (green) forces as well as clashes, French forces (blue), and other areas of interest. The map has been repeatedly updated and should be followed for any breaking events.
View Ivory Coast combat situation civil war in a larger map
3 comments:
Where are African Americans and black people living in western countries. They need to rally and change their government¬s foreign policy to Africa as well as their media's disregard for African lives lost and ruined.
It is interesting that your post seems to suggest that the brunt of the violence comes from the Outarra forces, when all the reporting that I have seen in the international media points at Gbagbo's forces as the principle attacked of civilian (Muslim) populations. The Southern forces have called in Liberian mercenaries that are acting as death squads going through Muslim communities in the South of the country. Further the UN has condemned the Gbagbo's forces wholesale indiscriminate shelling of (predominantly Muslim) communities such as Abobo.
Further this entire Civil War is an attempt by the Catholic South to deny equal civil rights to Muslims who have been living in Cote d'Ivoire for generations.
To focus in on just the Catholic victims of the current civil war would be to take a sadly parochial view of the conflict.
Saved Comments:
The situation in the Ivory Coast is rather like that in the former Yugoslavia, which followed a similar cycle of political systems failing, rising violence with civilians often the victims and an international community for a long period only willing to take very limited steps in the face of a humanitarian disaster and likely war crimes.
Post a Comment