So, we thought the 4 months of danger and uncertainty was over and that Gbagbo was ready to negotiate a surrender. Well, unfortunately not. It was just a ploy by Gbagbo so he would have time to regroup and gain the upper hand.
Our friend Tim Markley (Assistant to the Ambassador) is currently at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan. He reports the following:
"There was intense fighting again yesterday and into the early evening. However, so far today things have been fairly quiet. It looks like Gbagbo is gaining ground. The battle is just like the way this crisis has been since the beginning. Just when you think it is over, out pops another surprise...I think our hopes and prayers for this to be over soon are going to go unanswered.
I sincerely wish I had better news to pass on. The idea of isolating Gbagbo in his bunker doesn’t look like it will work. So, to me, it appears the only way to end this is to go in and get him. I don’t see him giving up, ever. Otherwise we could be in this current situation indefinitely.
The people of this city can’t last much longer. It is now 10 days of fighting, everyone is running out of everything. Stores that do open are swamped and charging 5 times the normal price for very old goods. Those that have the money are paying it, some buying to resell at even higher prices. The poor of this city don’t have money, and even what money they have they can’t afford the inflated prices. Aid relief is trying to get in, but they are having problems due to the continuing conflict.
Rest assured that everyone here is safe and sound. The Ambassador takes our safety and security very seriously. We continue to try and contact our local staff, and while they have had some incidents they all are safe and doing as well as can be expected.
I will keep trying to keep you updated. Again, and as always, hoping my next update brings good news."
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