News / Africa
170 people have been killed, Ivory Coast President fights to stay
24 Dec 2010 at 06:07hrs | Views
Ivory Coast: According to the United Nations, more than 170 people have been killed and 90 tortured in Ivory Coast's post-election violence.
The revised death toll came as the United States declined to rule out the use of force to remove President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to step down after losing the election a month ago threatens a return to civil war.
"Every option is still on the table," said William Fitzgerald, the U.S. State Department's deputy African affairs assistant secretary.
The warning came soon after Guillaume Soro, a senior opposition leader, said international military intervention was "the only solution left" to resolve the country's crisis.
It is unlikely that American soldiers would be deployed. But international support led by the U.S. could be channelled to boosting the UN mission in the country, or to send African Union troops.
PJ Crowley, a spokesman for the State Department, confirmed that Washington was talking with France, Ivory Coast's former colonial power, and African nations about sending extra armed forces.
The international community and Ivory Coast's election commission say that Mr Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, won the November 28 presidential poll run-off.
But the incumbent, who has held power since 2000, rejects this and is refusing to step down.
Violence between his loyalists, including the national army, and opposition supporters is growing, with reports of summary executions and torture.
The UN said on Thursday that its investigations found 173 people had been killed, 90 had been tortured or physically abused, 471 had been arrested and 24 had disappeared.
Earlier reports by international observers said that 50 people had been killed since the first clashes more than a week ago.
Mr Fitzgerald said that violence to resolve the stand-off should be avoided "if at all possible", but added that Washington could see no scenario where Mr Gbagbo remains in power.
"We're starting with sanctions, we're going to go to tougher sanctions, we will cut off funding to Ivory Coast one of these days with our African partners," he told the BBC.
"At the point that [Mr Gbagbo] stops paying the soldiers perhaps they will suggest to him that it's time to go."
The revised death toll came as the United States declined to rule out the use of force to remove President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to step down after losing the election a month ago threatens a return to civil war.
"Every option is still on the table," said William Fitzgerald, the U.S. State Department's deputy African affairs assistant secretary.
The warning came soon after Guillaume Soro, a senior opposition leader, said international military intervention was "the only solution left" to resolve the country's crisis.
It is unlikely that American soldiers would be deployed. But international support led by the U.S. could be channelled to boosting the UN mission in the country, or to send African Union troops.
PJ Crowley, a spokesman for the State Department, confirmed that Washington was talking with France, Ivory Coast's former colonial power, and African nations about sending extra armed forces.
The international community and Ivory Coast's election commission say that Mr Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, won the November 28 presidential poll run-off.
Violence between his loyalists, including the national army, and opposition supporters is growing, with reports of summary executions and torture.
The UN said on Thursday that its investigations found 173 people had been killed, 90 had been tortured or physically abused, 471 had been arrested and 24 had disappeared.
Earlier reports by international observers said that 50 people had been killed since the first clashes more than a week ago.
Mr Fitzgerald said that violence to resolve the stand-off should be avoided "if at all possible", but added that Washington could see no scenario where Mr Gbagbo remains in power.
"We're starting with sanctions, we're going to go to tougher sanctions, we will cut off funding to Ivory Coast one of these days with our African partners," he told the BBC.
"At the point that [Mr Gbagbo] stops paying the soldiers perhaps they will suggest to him that it's time to go."
Source - Byo24 Africa Correspondent
