Besieged Gbagbo delays surrender to political rival

Published on Tuesday 5 April 2011 18:27

Surrounded by troops backing Ivory Coast's democratically elected leader, strongman Laurent Gbagbo huddled in a bunker with his family last night and tried to negotiate terms of surrender directly with his political rival.

France's foreign minister, Alain Juppe, said Gbagbo would be required to relinquish power in writing after a decade as president, and must formally recognise his rival Alassane Ouattara, the internationally backed winner of the November election that plunged the West African nation into chaos.

Gbagbo was talking about the terms for his departure directly to Mr Ouattara, according to one diplomat.

Forces loyal to Mr Ouattara yesterday seized the presidential residence where Gbagbo had been besieged with his remaining loyalists.

United Nations and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters on Gbagbo's arms stockpiles and bases on Monday after four months of political deadlock in the former French colony in West Africa. Columns of foot soldiers allied with Mr Ouattara also finally pierced the city limits of Abidjan.

"One might think that we are getting to the end of the crisis," said Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the UN mission to Ivory Coast. "We spoke to his close aides, some had already defected, some are ready to stop fighting. He is alone now, he is in his bunker with a handful of supporters and family members. So is he going to last or not? I don't know."

Mr Toure said that the UN had received phone calls yesterday from the three main Gbagbo- allied generals, saying they were planning to order their troops to stop fighting.

"They asked us to accept arms and ammunition from the troops and to provide them protection," he said.

The offensive that began on Monday included air attacks on the presidential residence and three strategic military garrisons, marking an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to remove Gbagbo, as pro-Ouattara fighters pushed their way to the heart of the city to reach Gbagbo's home.

US president Barack Obama said he welcomed the role of the UN and French forces in Ivory Coast.

"To end this violence and prevent more bloodshed, former president Gbagbo must stand down immediately, and direct those who are fighting on his behalf to lay down their arms," Mr Obama said in a statement.

Gbagbo refused to cede power to Mr Ouattara even as the world's largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war, with both men claiming the presidency.Mr Ouattara has tried to rule from a lagoonside hotel, while Gbagbo has stubbornly refused every olive branch extended to him.

Yesterday, the African Union's Peace and Security Council again urged Gbagbo to cede power immediately "in order to curtail the suffering of the Ivorian people".

Mr Juppe said negotiations with Gbagbo and his family were ongoing.

"His adviser, Alcide Djedje, who is presented as his foreign minister, has arrived at the French embassy and he's in the process of discussions on conditions of Gbagbo's departure."

Even before the offensive, post-election violence had left hundreds dead - most of them Ouattara supporters - and forced up to a million people to flee their homes.

Following four months of attempts to negotiate Gbagbo's departure, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution giving the 12,000-strong peacekeeping operation the right "to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat".