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France starts war in Ivory Coast
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Posted by: FlashingEyes

The warmongering French have started a war in the Ivory Coast, according to The Washington Post. Quoting Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, The Post discovered that the French government and military had upheld and supported a revolt in the northern part of the country for 2 years, as part of a larger plan to coordinate a coup on Gbagbo, and replace him with a French puppet who would allow the French government and people to continue to steal the Ivory Coast's riches. Saturday the French military destroyed the Ivory Coast airforce using a "pretext" that these planes had fired on French troops. But Gragbo noted, "I haven't see any dead bodies." Gragbo also said the retaliation by former colonial rulers intent on undermining him was so swift that it must have been planned in advance of the supposed incident. French Col. Henry Assauvy denied Gbagbo's charges, but admitted, "I know that the rumor is always that France is always preparing a coup."

Brave nationalists in the Ivory Coast, fighting the French often with little more than handheld weapons, have forced 1,500 French invaders to retreat to Paris.

France has a long history of turning peaceful people into anti-Western terrorists, then forcing the United States to clean up the mess. Vietnam and Iraq are recent examples.

Posted by: BradIL

Now I have been one to drone on and on about this situation in this forum. I don't do it to be mean. But I think it points out the different ways europeans & americans see certain situations.

What gets me are the news reports that residents there are chanting "whites out", commercial airlines being 'conscripted' to get westerners out of the country, the potential that multi-lateral troops will have to provide protection until the evacuation is complete.

As recently as 2000 wasn't the Ivory Coast one of the most peaceful areas of sub-Saharan Africa? Weren't westerners actually welcomed in the country?

To our european friends in the RMP this makes 1 point that I believe is applicable to Iraq & Afghanistan. Diplomacy can do many wonderful things, occassionally accomplishing what seems impossible. But diplomacy has hard limits to what it can achieve.

The Ivory Coast seems to be an example of how diplomacy can create chaos when its improperly applied.

Posted by: lolomarseille

well
colonisation, from the coast, began in early XIXth
three zones; coast, dealing with white since 500 years, inner hearthland with two main people (not tribes!) baoulé (former pres) and beté (gbagbo's) and north, sahelian.
in 1956, french govt decided to try self govt for black colonies ( it was awfully late) in 1958, guinea vote no to de gaulle, so independance came, against communist sekou toure will; it's an important point coz the independance was planned for whole western french africa and whole equatorial french africa as united states; french rulers choosed the divide for reign policy as churchill planned for india in 42 and of course it was a big mistake
so these new independant states ( 62) were too weak, too big for one ethny, too little for world economy, and with administrative boundaries becoming holy state ones which is not very logical
Ivory coast:
leaded by felix houphouet boigny, baoulé noble, formerly communist, he was the only one happy of the independance of his little colony against for example the senegalese( who still cry, coz the capital of federation planned was Dakar) ( so you understand why the whole africa vote for french neocolonaliist action testerday in UN)
Houphouët was a good politician, when he was in the cabinet of the 4rth french republic, he belonged to future's pres mitterrand centrist little party, and answered to a journalist asking him why he choosed this party:
it's the only place where a black can see white eating each others
:-))
for the take off of ivory coast, he choosed a different policy,that succeed more
-no army; army is made for coup d'etat, only defense agrreement with france
-no communist backed policy; free trade and all the stuff
- take off by agriculture
so began the story of lonely successfull economy in west africa

gosh , why it collapsed in a few minutes, i work sometimes
-

Posted by: BradIL

No lolo--- the problems in the Ivory Coast today seem to date to 1999/2000. Its the French government/business that had problems with the IC government because they couldn't access to the mineral riches in that state. From 2002 until today it has been a steady march towards the anarchy we now see. This century-wide history you cite is the least of the current problems.

It would appear to be the same 'arrogance' you consistently find among americans.

You say we comment on things we 'dunnow'. Then you would tell me how the French are responding to the situation that BNP Paribas bank may have taken bribes to let Saddam skim funds from Iraq's UN Oil for Food accounts? I'm one who sees BNP Paribas as basically a money laundering machine for Saddam, with the cooperation/complicity of some diplomats at the UN.

Posted by: lolomarseille

Well, why did it collapsed?
when you sell cocoa, or any other agricultural good, your positions on world trade are getting worse ( 3 times since the 60's!)
so in 1991, the system collapsed and cocoa is know under unilever an an american company(RJR?)
in 80's, it was the top; they planned to build cars in abidjan!
BUT: houphouet did not enforced democracy
The system was working coz all the money of cocoa was for little peasants, owning the land in "cocoa loop"( bété & baoulé areas)
the workforce was mainly composed by immigrants, from the north or from other countries ( burkina, mali)
after houphouet 's dead, in 93, his lieutnant, henri konan bedié, had less money to share, and was a real idiot too
so he built the concept of "ivoirité" meaning that true ivoirians are from south or center, and people from north or immigrants sttled since sometimes 30 years weren't citizens
ON December 24th 1999, General Robert Gueï made the first coup of the history of the ivory coast
As everybody, from gbagbo to ouattarra and the french was fearing the stupid policy of Bedié, he was called " santa claus in battle dress"(le père noël en treillis)
Like jerry rawlings in ghana 20 years ago, he planned general elections asap
4 forces were on the political area; RDR from Ouattarra, former PM and IMF executive, supported by americans and some french, and the northern people
Konan bedié, supported by the past: guei, supported by opportunist, gbagbo, supported by Bété people and leftin africa and in france
during his twenty years of struggle, gbagbo lerant 2 things; the use of violence against the ennemies, and how to make friends abroad
in the 80's, he was in exile and shared a room for 9 years in paris with future president of african affairs commission of ruling socialist party
so, the presidential fight began, Ouattarra did not had the right to run, the northerners often, did not had the right to vote.
so gbagbo was not really elected
after, with "riots" and death squad, he used the sausage -slice way with the others: he is a really good politician, in the worse sense, like milosevic, destroying everything even his youth for staying in power
When the rebellion came, it was made by NCO from the north and backed by burkina; the lonely reserve battalion was defeated by the rebels, and it's only the french who saved the ass of gbagbo, which was a big mistake when we see what happened after, specially the ethnic cleansing in cocoa ring ( northerners work on crops, and when the work is done, militias come and say; hey foreigners, it's our land, we take all)

about the riots and the white hunting:
Strange, in a 3 millions city, , only 3 rapes among 15 000 whites, no death... did the machettes were in plastic? did the beer was saudi-made? did the weed was made of leaves? OR may be the so-called rioters were only political militias, minutemen of gbagbo,
perfectly under control...
for the fum, now that taxes have to be paid on november 15th, and that little french entrepreneurs pay 55 % of ivory coast state budget, gbagbo said"come back, we need you, what are going to do in welfare in winter in france? sorry for burning the schools"
:-))

so, take care with the news;;;

about bank, well, all banks are criminals except american ones yes, this point is well known.

Posted by: parasionok

I didn't know that the French started the war in Ivory Coast. I thought President Gbagbo started the bombing of rebels and oops bombed the French position, killing 8 soldiers... I cannot see anywhere in the news that the French declared the war to Ivory Coast... Can you give me the link where I can read about latest military actions of the French in Ivoriy Coast????

Posted by: FlashingEyes

The BBC reports that Cardinal Bernard Agre said last week he had seen young girls decapitated by the French army - a charge President Gbagbo said he believed to be true.

Cardinal Agre alleged some of the protesters had been beheaded, in an interview with Vatican Radio last week.

"I've just come back from the hospitals, it's unbearable, these young girls decapitated by the French army, these people even lying on the floor," he said.

President Gbagbo said in a French internet forum on Saturday that he believed the beheading charge to be true.

"This testimony by the prelate was reported by all the people who were present at the siege of the Hotel Ivoire by the French army and all those who were in the hospitals," he told the forum organised by Le Nouvel Observateur newspaper.

"I wasn't in the hospitals but everyone who went there said it. We can assume this testimony repeated by several people is true."

Tensions have been running high between the French and the Ivorians, after French forces destroyed most of the Ivorian air force. The French pretense for beginning this war was that they were acting in retaliation for an air raid which killed nine of its peacekeepers.

Mr Gbagbo suggested that, as he had not seen the bodies of the French soldiers, they may not exist.

Posted by: lolomarseille

Quote:

Originally posted by parasionok
I didn't know that the French started the war in Ivory Coast. I thought President Gbagbo started the bombing of rebels and oops bombed the French position, killing 8 soldiers... I cannot see anywhere in the news that the French declared the war to Ivory Coast... Can you give me the link where I can read about latest military actions of the French in Ivoriy Coast????

nothing in english of course, but i think by checking ghanean or nigerian or south african press, you can have some news
( accra should be better)

gbagbo needs money for buying arms, if some want to , :-))
'(but do it in banknotes, all that will finish in holland next 5 years)