On April 6th, Jay headed back to Abidjan, making a 2-day stopover in D.C. en route. While he was in transit, the army supporting Ouattara (the elected president) reclaimed the city of Abidjan. By the time Jay reached Paris, we thought the four month stand-off was finally at an end. Then, Gbagbo (the squatter) feigned a surrender only to hunker down for a few more days of fighting.
Jay was waylaid for a couple of days in Paris, and then flew to Accra, Ghana to await the end of the violence. After 10 days under seige, Abidjan's inhabitants were really starting to suffer, running out of water and food, not to mention sanity. Eventually, Gbagbos supporters made the mistake of firing artillery on U.N. troops and civilians. This gave the U.N. good cause to use missiles to take out the heavy guns. Just a short time later, Gbagbo's bunker was attacked and he was arrested by Ivoirian troops.
Jay was waylaid for a couple of days in Paris, and then flew to Accra, Ghana to await the end of the violence. After 10 days under seige, Abidjan's inhabitants were really starting to suffer, running out of water and food, not to mention sanity. Eventually, Gbagbos supporters made the mistake of firing artillery on U.N. troops and civilians. This gave the U.N. good cause to use missiles to take out the heavy guns. Just a short time later, Gbagbo's bunker was attacked and he was arrested by Ivoirian troops.
Civilians celebrate Gbagbo's arrest
The arrest occurred on April 11th, however, the situation is far from resolved. There is so much broken about Ivory Coast that it is going to take a while for the whole thing to work itself out. There are still some crazy folks who are intent on fighting their own private war. Ivoirian troops finally "solved the problem" of the warlord Coulibaly, but there is a neighborhood of Abidjan called Youpougon where some entrenched Gbagbo supporters are still wreaking havoc. Also, there is the issue of war crimes which were seemingly committed by soldiers and mercenaries on both sides. Attacks and killings occured on a large scale in Abidjan and in a town (Duekoue) in the west of the country. It appears that the crimes were based on ethnic and tribal identity rather than political affiliation. The UN will have its hands full with investigations in Duekoue and in uncovering multiple mass graves in and around Abidjan. It's still such a mess.
Even though the airport was open and the Embassy in Abidjan requested that Jay be allowed to return, the State Department kept him in Accra for over a week. We aren't entirely sure why. They finally let him fly to Abidjan on Easter. Jay says things are much calmer, but still weird. With businesses and government offices looted and violence persisting in some areas, many people cannot return to their homes or jobs. It will likely take some time for things to return to normal. We are hopeful that President Ouattara and the new government will act responsibly and that the Ivoirians will be able to heal and to re-build their country as a more cohesive and peace-loving place.
Even though the airport was open and the Embassy in Abidjan requested that Jay be allowed to return, the State Department kept him in Accra for over a week. We aren't entirely sure why. They finally let him fly to Abidjan on Easter. Jay says things are much calmer, but still weird. With businesses and government offices looted and violence persisting in some areas, many people cannot return to their homes or jobs. It will likely take some time for things to return to normal. We are hopeful that President Ouattara and the new government will act responsibly and that the Ivoirians will be able to heal and to re-build their country as a more cohesive and peace-loving place.
"The death (April 27th) of one of Ivory Coast's most charismatic commanders and serial coup-plotters, Ibrahim Coulibaly, eliminates one of the main threats to the new government... Nevertheless, it highlights the possible security threats that could be posed by the coalition of ex-rebel commanders that are not directly under President Ouattara's authority, but which brought him to power." (John James, http://www.bbc.co.uk/).
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