News / Africa
Gbagbo calls for an end to Ivory Coast war
12 Apr 2011 at 08:53hrs | Views
Abidjan - "Don't kill me!" were the first words that Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo shouted when forces loyal to his rival Alassane Ouattara captured him on Monday, a witness told AFP.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a fighter with Ouattara's Republican Forces (FRCI) told AFP on Monday of Gbagbo's dramatic capture at the presidential residence in Abidjan.
The fighter said the yard outside the presidential residence had been teeming with land mines and that several FRCI fighters were injured when they stepped on the explosives.
He said the fighters threw tear gas into the residence before a commander entered in search of Gbagbo, who had been sheltering in there with his wife Simone.
"When he found himself face to face with Gbagbo, in front of his desk, the first thing Gbagbo said was 'Don't kill me!'," the witness said.
He said Ouattara's forces put a bullet-proof vest on Gbagbo and the FRCI's commanders surrounded him "to protect him because some of our fighters wanted to finish him off right away".
Gbagbo was then put into a 4x4 and taken directly to Ouattara's headquarters at the Golf Hotel, he said.
End to fighting
Laurent Gbagbo called on Monday for an end to fighting in Ivory Coast hours after the strongman was captured by forces loyal to his rival for the presidency at the climax of a deadly months-long crisis.
"I want us to lay down arms and to enter the civilian part of the crisis, which should be completed rapidly for life in the country to resume," Gbagbo said on his rival Alassane Ouattara's TCI channel shortly after his capture.
Gbagbo, who has held power since 2000 and stubbornly refused to admit defeat in November's presidential election, was detained and taken to his rival's temporary hotel headquarters with his wife Simone and son Michel.
"The nightmare is over," Ouattara's prime minister, former rebel leader Guillaume Soro, said on the victorious camp's television channel, calling for any forces still loyal to Gbagbo to change sides.
"There can be no witch hunts, join the Republican Forces," Soro said.
"After fierce fighting, surrounded and defeated, Gbagbo and his wife Simone Gbagbo have just surrendered and are now under arrest," he added, calling on Ivorians to remain calm and saying a lawless Abidjan would soon be secured.
The network showed footage of Gbagbo inside a room in the Golf Hotel along with several senior aides, wearing a vest, wiping himself down with a towel and then changing shirts. He appeared visibly tired but otherwise unharmed.
Ouattara spokesperson Anne Ouloto told AFP the former first couple had been brought to the Golf Hotel, where Ouattara's camp was for months besieged by Gbagbo's forces, at around 13:00 (13:00 GMT), shortly after the arrest.
Protection of UN police
Speaking in New York, Ivory Coast's UN envoy Youssoufou Bamba vowed that Gbagbo would now stand trial.
"Mr Gbagbo was arrested, he is alive and well and he will be brought to justice for the crimes he has committed," Bamba said, adding that only Ivorian forces were involved in his detention.
UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said Gbagbo and his wife were under the protection of UN police at the Golf Hotel amid fears of reprisals or summary justice.
"UN gendarmes are now ensuring the security of Mr Gbagbo and his wife in an apartment in the Golf Hotel," Le Roy said. "To my knowledge most of the fighting has stopped but there are pockets of resistance."
Ouattara will now decide whether Gbagbo should face trial but UN guards would stay with him even if he is moved outside of Abidjan.
After the capture, General Bruno Dogbo Ble, the head of Gbagbo's Republican Guard, called the UN to say he wanted to surrender and Le Roy said at least 200 Gbagbo fighters had laid down their weapons.
"It is an important step in the process, but we cannot call it euphoria. This is not over. It is extremely important that we maintain law and order inside Abidjan and the whole country," Le Roy said.
The United Nations has so far confirmed about 800 dead in the Gbagbo-Ouattara conflict since December, but warned that the toll was probably much higher.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Gbagbo's arrest "sends a strong signal to dictators" in the region and beyond that they "may not disregard" the voice of their own people in free and fair elections.
Bodies litter the streets
Earlier, witnesses reported seeing pro-Ouattara forces entering Gbagbo's besieged residential compound, from which they had been repeatedly repulsed, while French and UN armoured vehicles deployed on a road nearby.
Troops from the cocoa-rich nation's former colonial ruler France and from a UN peacekeeping force have been pounding Gbagbo's forces since Sunday in a bid to destroy the heavy weapons they were reportedly using against civilians.
Bodies litter the streets of the west African nation's commercial capital from days of street-to-street fighting, after Ouattara's forces swept down from the north of the country in a lightning attack less than two week ago.
A spokesperson for the UN mission in Ivory Coast (Unoci) said its peacekeepers and allies from France's Licorne force had aimed to destroy heavy weapons that were being used against civilians.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said the French leader had a lengthy phone conversation with Ouattara, a former deputy head of the International Monetary Fund, shortly after Gbagbo was arrested.
France said its military had taken part in the weekend raids at the UN chief's request, and firmly denied reports that its special forces had taken Gbagbo and handed him over to Ouattara's men.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Gbagbo should be treated with respect following his capture, and should face "a fair and properly organised judicial process in Cote d'Ivoire".
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor has launched a preliminary investigation into the violence in Ivory Coast to see if crimes committed are serious enough to come under its jurisdiction.
The court tries allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Both sides have been accused of massacres during the stand-off and ensuing conflict, with mass graves reportedly found near Abidjan and hundreds killed or raped in the western town of Duekoue.
Obama
In reaction to the developments US President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the captured of Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo and called on militia groups to lay down their arms to boost hopes of a democratic future.
"The United States welcomes the decisive turn of events in Cote d'Ivoire, as former President Laurent Gbagbo's illegitimate claim to power has finally come to an end," Obama said in a written statement.
"This represents a victory for the democratic will of the Ivoirian people, who have suffered for far too long through the instability that followed their election.
"Today, the people of Cote d'Ivoire have the chance to begin to reclaim their country, solidify their democracy, and rebuild a vibrant economy that taps the extraordinary potential of the Ivoirian people."
The US president said that Washington, along with the rest of the world, strongly backed the results of Ivory Coast's election and commended UN and French forces for actions they took to protect civilians.
"For President Ouattara and the people of Cote d'Ivoire, the hard work of reconciliation and rebuilding must begin now," Obama said in a long statement.
"President Ouattara will need to govern on behalf of all the people of Cote d'Ivoire, including those who did not vote for him.
"All militia groups should lay down their weapons and recognize an inclusive military that protects all citizens under the authority of President Ouattara," he said, adding that victims of political violence needed accountability.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a fighter with Ouattara's Republican Forces (FRCI) told AFP on Monday of Gbagbo's dramatic capture at the presidential residence in Abidjan.
The fighter said the yard outside the presidential residence had been teeming with land mines and that several FRCI fighters were injured when they stepped on the explosives.
He said the fighters threw tear gas into the residence before a commander entered in search of Gbagbo, who had been sheltering in there with his wife Simone.
"When he found himself face to face with Gbagbo, in front of his desk, the first thing Gbagbo said was 'Don't kill me!'," the witness said.
He said Ouattara's forces put a bullet-proof vest on Gbagbo and the FRCI's commanders surrounded him "to protect him because some of our fighters wanted to finish him off right away".
Gbagbo was then put into a 4x4 and taken directly to Ouattara's headquarters at the Golf Hotel, he said.
End to fighting
Laurent Gbagbo called on Monday for an end to fighting in Ivory Coast hours after the strongman was captured by forces loyal to his rival for the presidency at the climax of a deadly months-long crisis.
"I want us to lay down arms and to enter the civilian part of the crisis, which should be completed rapidly for life in the country to resume," Gbagbo said on his rival Alassane Ouattara's TCI channel shortly after his capture.
Gbagbo, who has held power since 2000 and stubbornly refused to admit defeat in November's presidential election, was detained and taken to his rival's temporary hotel headquarters with his wife Simone and son Michel.
"The nightmare is over," Ouattara's prime minister, former rebel leader Guillaume Soro, said on the victorious camp's television channel, calling for any forces still loyal to Gbagbo to change sides.
"There can be no witch hunts, join the Republican Forces," Soro said.
"After fierce fighting, surrounded and defeated, Gbagbo and his wife Simone Gbagbo have just surrendered and are now under arrest," he added, calling on Ivorians to remain calm and saying a lawless Abidjan would soon be secured.
The network showed footage of Gbagbo inside a room in the Golf Hotel along with several senior aides, wearing a vest, wiping himself down with a towel and then changing shirts. He appeared visibly tired but otherwise unharmed.
Ouattara spokesperson Anne Ouloto told AFP the former first couple had been brought to the Golf Hotel, where Ouattara's camp was for months besieged by Gbagbo's forces, at around 13:00 (13:00 GMT), shortly after the arrest.
Protection of UN police
Speaking in New York, Ivory Coast's UN envoy Youssoufou Bamba vowed that Gbagbo would now stand trial.
"Mr Gbagbo was arrested, he is alive and well and he will be brought to justice for the crimes he has committed," Bamba said, adding that only Ivorian forces were involved in his detention.
UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said Gbagbo and his wife were under the protection of UN police at the Golf Hotel amid fears of reprisals or summary justice.
"UN gendarmes are now ensuring the security of Mr Gbagbo and his wife in an apartment in the Golf Hotel," Le Roy said. "To my knowledge most of the fighting has stopped but there are pockets of resistance."
Ouattara will now decide whether Gbagbo should face trial but UN guards would stay with him even if he is moved outside of Abidjan.
After the capture, General Bruno Dogbo Ble, the head of Gbagbo's Republican Guard, called the UN to say he wanted to surrender and Le Roy said at least 200 Gbagbo fighters had laid down their weapons.
"It is an important step in the process, but we cannot call it euphoria. This is not over. It is extremely important that we maintain law and order inside Abidjan and the whole country," Le Roy said.
The United Nations has so far confirmed about 800 dead in the Gbagbo-Ouattara conflict since December, but warned that the toll was probably much higher.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Gbagbo's arrest "sends a strong signal to dictators" in the region and beyond that they "may not disregard" the voice of their own people in free and fair elections.
Bodies litter the streets
Earlier, witnesses reported seeing pro-Ouattara forces entering Gbagbo's besieged residential compound, from which they had been repeatedly repulsed, while French and UN armoured vehicles deployed on a road nearby.
Troops from the cocoa-rich nation's former colonial ruler France and from a UN peacekeeping force have been pounding Gbagbo's forces since Sunday in a bid to destroy the heavy weapons they were reportedly using against civilians.
Bodies litter the streets of the west African nation's commercial capital from days of street-to-street fighting, after Ouattara's forces swept down from the north of the country in a lightning attack less than two week ago.
A spokesperson for the UN mission in Ivory Coast (Unoci) said its peacekeepers and allies from France's Licorne force had aimed to destroy heavy weapons that were being used against civilians.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said the French leader had a lengthy phone conversation with Ouattara, a former deputy head of the International Monetary Fund, shortly after Gbagbo was arrested.
France said its military had taken part in the weekend raids at the UN chief's request, and firmly denied reports that its special forces had taken Gbagbo and handed him over to Ouattara's men.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Gbagbo should be treated with respect following his capture, and should face "a fair and properly organised judicial process in Cote d'Ivoire".
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor has launched a preliminary investigation into the violence in Ivory Coast to see if crimes committed are serious enough to come under its jurisdiction.
The court tries allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Both sides have been accused of massacres during the stand-off and ensuing conflict, with mass graves reportedly found near Abidjan and hundreds killed or raped in the western town of Duekoue.
Obama
In reaction to the developments US President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the captured of Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo and called on militia groups to lay down their arms to boost hopes of a democratic future.
"The United States welcomes the decisive turn of events in Cote d'Ivoire, as former President Laurent Gbagbo's illegitimate claim to power has finally come to an end," Obama said in a written statement.
"This represents a victory for the democratic will of the Ivoirian people, who have suffered for far too long through the instability that followed their election.
"Today, the people of Cote d'Ivoire have the chance to begin to reclaim their country, solidify their democracy, and rebuild a vibrant economy that taps the extraordinary potential of the Ivoirian people."
The US president said that Washington, along with the rest of the world, strongly backed the results of Ivory Coast's election and commended UN and French forces for actions they took to protect civilians.
"For President Ouattara and the people of Cote d'Ivoire, the hard work of reconciliation and rebuilding must begin now," Obama said in a long statement.
"President Ouattara will need to govern on behalf of all the people of Cote d'Ivoire, including those who did not vote for him.
"All militia groups should lay down their weapons and recognize an inclusive military that protects all citizens under the authority of President Ouattara," he said, adding that victims of political violence needed accountability.
Source - AFP
