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TechnoratiEcowas pressures Gbagbo to step down, as refugees flee to Liberia
Three West African presidents met Tuesday with Côte d'Ivoire's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to pressure him to step down.
As the presidential crisis continues, thousands of refugees have fled to neighbouring Liberia.
The presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde were sent by Ecowas, the Economic Community Of West African States, to give Gbagbo an ultimatum: to step down or the West African bloc will step in.
Although the three men did not speak to reporters in Abidjan, Benin's foreign ministry told media that the aim of their mission is to persuade the Ivorian leader to leave office "without delay".
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In the wake of violence following the contested second-round presidential election, about 20,000 people have fled into neighbouring Liberia.
They are living in makeshift camps in villages, and food supplies are running low.
“The majority of them are women and children, and they are a mixed group of supporters of both Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo,” Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba, of the UN’s refugee agency, told RFI.
She said 15,120 refugees have been from western Côte d'Ivoire, with another 4,000 who reportedly entered.
The UN is not building camps, on the request of the Liberian government, which is finding villages to host refugees.
“They did say they would rather have the refugees living with local communities, because they have a non-encampment policy,” said Lejeune-Kaba, adding that this could be reasonable if the numbers remain manageable.
“If we reach the worst-case scenario – for example, civil war breaking out again - obviously there will be a need to change that policy”
And food is a problem. People are living off of supplies from villages, and the government has provided some rice, but not enough.
“We could run out of supplies rather shortly, which means we would have to bring in more aid from the region,” said Lejeune-Kaba.
React to the article
(1) Reaction
GIVE GBAGBO AN ULTIMATUM
THE STEP TAKEN BY THE REGIONAL BLOC(ECOWAS) ENSURING THAT SANITY PREVAILS IN COTE D'IVOIRE AFTER THE DISPUTED PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF IS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THIS IN BROADER SPECTRUM HELP AMELIORATE SOME OF THE SOCIO-POLITICAL MISCONCEPTIONS FROM THE WESTERN OR COLONIAL MASTERS.
IT TAKES SOME SELECTED FEW TO MAKE A RESOUNDING MEMORY CHERISHED BY THE FOLKS BUT OBVIOUSLY RIDICULOUS TO ACCEPT PEOPLE WHO BY VIRTUE OF THEIR SELFISH AMBITIONS TEND TO THROW THE WIDER COMMUNITY INTO DISARRAY.
IT'S ABOUT TIME INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL BLOCS IN AFRICA ASTUTELY ACCEDE TO THE SOCIO-CULTURAL WELL-BEING OF THE INHABITANTS.
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES SHOULD ENSURE THAT STRINGENT MEASURES ARE PUT IN PLACE TO DECRY INDIVIDUAL PRESIDENTS WHO THROUGH THEIR OWN PERSONAL IDIOSYNCRATIC STANCE WOULD
AID THE DETERIORATION AND DESTRUCTIVE DISPERSION OF THE EXISTING PEACE IN THE SUB-REGION. HENCE, ABRUPTLY JEOPARDISING THE MOBILITY RATE OF INNOCENT INHABITANTS AND WILDLIFE.