Ivory Coast: UN Forces Help Flush Out Gbagbo

After more than five months of fighting and posturing in Ivory Coast, the former President Laurent Gbagbo was arrested by forces loyal to his opponent Allassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the country’s November 2010 election.

Ouattara troops entered Gbagbo’s compound early this morning after UN and French peacekeepers launched a final offensive against the former President’s heavy artillery. 

UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky says the decision to undertake further military action was made after Gbagbo’s forces continued to shell UN and Ouattara headquarters through out the weekend. 

 UN peace keeping chief Alain Le Roy told reporters Gbagbo decided to surrendered only after Ouattara’s Force Republicaine had entered his compound. 

The former President and his wife are currently being held at the Golf Hotel in Abijan, the same place where Ouattara sought UN protection after Gbagbo refused to concede power in December. 

While Gbagbo is under the custody of Ouattara’s forces, guards for the UN mission in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) are nevertheless ensuring his physical integrity and safety. 

Le Roy said it would ultimately be up to Ouattra and his legal team to decide what to do with the former President.  

Youssoufu Bamaba , Ouattara’s envoy at the UN, told reporters that Gbagbo would be brought to justice but was unable to offer further details into any possible prosecution.

While Gbagbo ouster is an important step, Le Roy warned that the humanitarian crisis in Cote d”Ivoire was far from over and that armed clashes continued in pockets through out the country. 

 “The crisis is not over at all. Our(UNOCI) main task is to contribute to restore law and order inside Abijan and the whole country.” said Le Roy “President Ouattara’s forces have a big role to play, he must call the police and the gendarmerie to restore law and order. ”

Le Roy says that negotiations with troops loyal to the former President are ongoing and that most of Gbagbo’s Republican Guard want to surrender.

“So far the chief of Gbagbo forces, Geberal Dogbo Ble, called us to say he wants to surrender his weapons. I hope this is going on as I speak. “ 

 Over the past few weeks, reports of mass killings and human rights violations committed by both Ouattara and Gbagbo have increased dramatically. 

 Human Rights Watch’s most recent humanitarian update details hundreds of killings and other abuses in the Western part of the country, many of which were carried out along ethnic lines, by forces loyal to both leaders. The rights organization has called on the Ouattara government to carry out credible investigation into all incidents. 

 Ivan Simonovic, United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, told reporters today that President Ouattara has called on his forces to refrain from retaliation against Gbagbo supporters and had agreed to fully cooperate with a Human Rights Council mandated investigation into the killings.