17 December 2010
United States Condemns Violence in Côte d’Ivoire
Washington — Condemning the recent violence in Côte d’Ivoire as “egregious,” a senior U.S. government official urged all Ivorians to respect peace and the will of the people as expressed November 28 in the second round of the country’s presidential election, in which Alassane Ouattara was elected as the next president.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State William Fitzgerald told America.gov in a December 17 interview, “At the end of the day, the United States is urging peace and reminds Laurent Gbagbo that any bloodshed will rest on his government, his regime, and that the will of the people must be respected.”
“Overall we are deeply, deeply concerned … because of the violence that is going on — it is egregious. There is irrefutable evidence that Gbagbo lost the election, yet refuses to give in and is shrouding himself in legalisms to defend what he calls his election victory.”
Fitzgerald said Abidjan was reported to be calm December 17. “Yesterday, however, was a really rough day in which the supporters of Alassane Ouattara — the new president of Côte d’Ivoire — tried to march on the state television and radio offices and install their own director. They were met with gunfire and with force by the government” and casualties were reported.
“Alassane Ouattara is the president of Côte d’Ivoire, Gbagbo has lost. Gbagbo needs to relinquish power, pass it to Alassane Ouattara and step aside and allow the will of the Ivorian people to be paramount,” Fitzgerald said.
“Unfortunately,” Fitzgerald said, “we are in a situation where Gbagbo is using his security forces to protect his position. It is difficult to see how the Constitutional Council can rule that Gbagbo has won. Again, the U.S. position is that any violence at this point will be blood on Laurent Gbagbo’s hands.”
Fitzgerald said: “We have not heard any public statements from Gbagbo. I don’t believe that the diplomatic corps has met with Gbagbo. He is hiding in the presidential palace, as far as we know, and is allowing his security forces to bully the people in the streets.”
“There is unanimous international feeling on who won the November 28 election — the U.N. has come out in a statement, President Obama has congratulated Alassane Ouattara for his victory, the European Union is adopting sanctions as we speak, the United States is looking into sanctions, the African Union has called on Laurent Gbagbo to step aside. The Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] has also unanimously told Laurent Gbagbo, ‘You have lost this election. Alassane Ouattara has won and you must peacefully step aside.’”
“Really, where we are now is a standoff, a stalemate in the political crisis where Gbagbo still controls many of the levers of power, including the security forces, and that is what is keeping him in office.”
Fitzgerald said, however, that “as sanctions begin to kick in, as Gbagbo’s control over state organs continues to diminish,” things might change. The West African Economic and Monetary Union — which includes Côte d’Ivoire and seven of its neighbors in a common currency zone — “in all likelihood will cease doing business with Laurent Gbagbo and begin doing business with Alassane Ouattara, so he would actually lose control over the major accounts in Côte d’Ivoire to Alassane Ouattara.”
Fitzgerald said the Africans have taken the lead on the situation. “ECOWAS came out first with their condemnation of Gbagbo’s intent to try to remain in power. The AU followed suit.” The United States, he said, is working closely with the French and with the rest of the international community with regard to Côte d’Ivoire.
Overall, the situation in Côte d’Ivoire “concerns us deeply,” he said. “The potential for major violence, the potential to conceivably return to civil war is there. Both sides are armed. Gbagbo has much of the security forces under his control. Dating back to the civil war in the earlier part of the decade, Ouattara has the ‘Forces Nouvelles,’ which is based in the northern part of the country.”
The United Nations is on the ground in Côte d’Ivoire, operating under the mandate to protect civilians as best they can, he said. They are also currently protecting President Ouattara and his Cabinet at the Golf Hotel. On December 16 members of his government tried to leave the Golf Hotel but were beaten back and fired upon by forces loyal to Gbagbo, Fitzgerald added.
Fitzgerald noted that the primary goal of President Obama’s Africa policy, which he laid out in Accra in 2009, is the promotion of democracy and good governance in Africa.
“The United Nations was asked to certify this election,” he said. “They have irrefutable proof that Alassane Ouattara has won the election. Democracy must prevail, and by democracy I mean the will of the people. Ivorians turned out in record numbers. Gbagbo must respect what the people voted, what the people want, which is Alassane Ouattara as president.”
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
Podcast on the 2010 Election in Côte d’Ivoire