Ivory Coast on Brink of Renewed Civil War

Intense confrontations between United Nations peacekeepers and supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo have left at least five people dead, threatening to plunge the Ivory Coast into a new wave of civil war. The violence has centered on protests against the dissolution of the pro-Gbagbo national assembly, a move seen as an attempt to limit Gbagbo's power. The United Nations has accused Gbagbo of fomenting the violence, and France has warned that the patience of foreign mediators is wearing thin, with the threat of UN sanctions against Ivory Coast leaders.

Key Takeaways:

• At least five people have died in violent confrontations between UN peacekeepers and pro-Gbagbo supporters.
• The protests are centered on the dissolution of the pro-Gbagbo national assembly, a move seen as an attempt to limit Gbagbo's power.
• The UN has accused President Gbagbo of fomenting the violence to impede the efforts of a UN-sponsored peace process.
• The French army chief of staff, General Henri Bentegeat, has warned that the time has come for UN sanctions against Ivory Coast leaders.
• The international community has grown tired of the "manifest bad faith" of both sides, in the words of General Bentegeat.
• The UN Security Council is planning to target Ivory Coast leaders with sanctions.
• The Ivory Coast remains the world's largest producer of cocoa, but its economy has been severely impacted by almost four years of intermittent fighting.
• President Gbagbo has banned all street demonstrations, but his security forces have not disbursed his supporters.
• Peacekeepers have fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at protesters in Abidjan, while demonstrators have lobbed fire bombs into a UN office in San Pedro.

Statistics:

• At least 5 people have died in the confrontations.
• 300 UN troops from Bangladesh fired on protesters in Guiglo.
• 3 bodies were reported by a doctor at Guiglo's main hospital.
• The Ivory Coast has been plagued by almost 4 years of intermittent fighting.
• The UN Security Council has warned for a long time that sanctions are needed against Ivory Coast.
• The international community's patience is wearing thin, with the threat of UN sanctions against Ivory Coast leaders.

Sources:

• John Lichfield in Paris, Ivory Coast is tottering on the brink of renewed civil war after at least five people died... "The UN Security Council has warned for a long time that sanctions are needed." A UN-backed international mediation group recommended at the weekend that the expired mandate of the pro-Gbagbo national assembly should not be renewed. President Gbagbo is leading a government of national unity, which extended his presidential mandate for a year but has severely limited his day-to-day executive influence. The call to dissolve parliament, which is seen as one of the last bastions of his power, angered the Gbagbo loyalists, or so-called "patriots". For the past three days, they have poured on to the streets, setting up checkpoints and burning tyres. President Gbagbo has banned all street demonstrations but his security forces did nothing to disperse his supporters. On Tuesday, peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas grenades at protesters trying to breach the security walls of their headquarters in Abidjan. In San Pedro, on the Atlantic coast, demonstrators lobbed fire bombs into a UN office. In Guiglo, 300 UN troops from Bangladesh withdrew from the town after exchanging fire with protesters. A doctor at Guiglo's main hospital said that two bodies lay at the morgue and there were three more corpses in the streets. International efforts to bring a permanent settlement to Ivory Coast began to falter in October when Mr Gbagbo cancelled presidential elections. He claimed that the rebel forces, which have controlled the north of the country since a failed coup in 2002, had refused to disarm. The UN and the African Union agreed a one-year extension of Mr Gbagbo's mandate. In return, a Prime Minister, Charles Konan Banny, was approved by both sides and formed a national unity government in December.