The UN has “concrete intelligence” that the former Côte d'Ivoire president, Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to step down despite his election defeat, is inciting violence against its peacekeepers and his own countrymen, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, again raising the prospect of a trial by the International Criminal Court.
Earlier in the week, forces loyal to Gbagbo attacked UN peacekeepers and burned vehicles belonging to the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI). UNOCI has been in the country for the past seven years, supporting efforts to reunify the countrty, which was split in 2002 into a government-controlled south and rebel-held north.
Over 200 people have been killed since the election stand-off in December, and some 23,500 Ivorians have fled to neighbouring countries. Mr Ban is due to ask for between 1,000 and 2,000 extra troops for UNOCI, which currently has just under 9,000.
In a House of Lords debate on 22 December, UNA-UK Chair Lord Hannay of Chiswick called for UNOCI to be reinforced, saying “does not the experience of Sierra Leone show that having an over-the-horizon capability, which can be provided only by countries with fairly sophisticated military forces, is often the best way of deterring the outbreak of fighting?” The UK has stated it would back a military intervention if sanctioned by the UN.
