ABIDJAN - Former president Thabo Mbeki arrived in Ivory Coast yesterday to try to mediate an end to a standoff, over election results that were meant to resolve a north-south conflict, but now threaten to renew it.
Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo was sworn in as president of the world's top cocoa grower on Saturday even though the electoral commission declared his rival, Alassane Ouattara, winner of a November 28 run-off election.
Ouattara submitted a rival oath to undertake the presidency and said he would start a parallel government.
"A situation like Rwanda or Kenya would be a nightmare, which we are working tirelessly to avoid," South Africa's envoy to Ivory Coast Zodwa Lallie, said, noting similarities with Kenya's election in 2007 when a disputed result degenerated into ethnic bloodshed that killed at least 1300 people.
Mbeki was holding talks with Gbagbo at his presidential palace in the morning and was due later to meet Ouattara at the UN-guarded Abidjan hotel he is using as headquarters. South African officials said the Mbeki visit was due to last one day.
The Constitutional Council, the country's highest legal organ with final word on the election and headed by an ally of Gbagbo, cancelled hundreds of thousands of votes in Ouattara bastions. It cited intimidation and fraud by rebel soldiers who run these areas, and declared Gbagbo the winner.
But the result had been certified by the UN peacekeeping envoy to Ivory Coast YJ Choi, who received copies of the count from almost every polling station. He said even if all the fraud allegations were true, they still could not have changed the outcome announced by the election commission.
The vote was supposed to unite Ivory Coast after a 2002-03 war left the north in rebel hands. But that now seems unlikely.
Small-scale protests and tyre-burning broke out on Saturday in several towns, including the largest city, Abidjan, and in Bouake in the north. At least 15 people have been killed in violence associated with the election.
Gbagbo has controlled the country for a decade but now faces isolation and possibly sanctions, after his win was rejected by the UN, US, France, the European Union, the African Union and West African bloc Ecowas.
Mbeki in bid for Ivory Coast peace
ABIDJAN - Former president Thabo Mbeki arrived in Ivory Coast yesterday to try to mediate an end to a standoff, over election results that were meant to resolve a north-south conflict, but now threaten to renew it.
Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo was sworn in as president of the world's top cocoa grower on Saturday even though the electoral commission declared his rival, Alassane Ouattara, winner of a November 28 run-off election.
Ouattara submitted a rival oath to undertake the presidency and said he would start a parallel government.
"A situation like Rwanda or Kenya would be a nightmare, which we are working tirelessly to avoid," South Africa's envoy to Ivory Coast Zodwa Lallie, said, noting similarities with Kenya's election in 2007 when a disputed result degenerated into ethnic bloodshed that killed at least 1300 people.
Mbeki was holding talks with Gbagbo at his presidential palace in the morning and was due later to meet Ouattara at the UN-guarded Abidjan hotel he is using as headquarters. South African officials said the Mbeki visit was due to last one day.
The Constitutional Council, the country's highest legal organ with final word on the election and headed by an ally of Gbagbo, cancelled hundreds of thousands of votes in Ouattara bastions. It cited intimidation and fraud by rebel soldiers who run these areas, and declared Gbagbo the winner.
But the result had been certified by the UN peacekeeping envoy to Ivory Coast YJ Choi, who received copies of the count from almost every polling station. He said even if all the fraud allegations were true, they still could not have changed the outcome announced by the election commission.
The vote was supposed to unite Ivory Coast after a 2002-03 war left the north in rebel hands. But that now seems unlikely.
Small-scale protests and tyre-burning broke out on Saturday in several towns, including the largest city, Abidjan, and in Bouake in the north. At least 15 people have been killed in violence associated with the election.
Gbagbo has controlled the country for a decade but now faces isolation and possibly sanctions, after his win was rejected by the UN, US, France, the European Union, the African Union and West African bloc Ecowas.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos