Ivory Coast’s neighbors urged the UN on Thursday to toughen the mandate of its 12,000 peacekeepers and apply harsh sanctions on the inner circle of incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo.
The move added to pressure on the world body to do more to end a violent post-election standoff in the top cocoa producer that has already claimed hundreds of lives and is veering toward all-out civil war. France earlier urged a tougher UN role.
Gbagbo claimed victory in a disputed November election despite UN-certified results showing that he lost to his rival Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo says those results were rigged.
Yet African states, the US and the EU have all recognized Ouattara as the winner and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has repeatedly said force may be needed to remove Gbagbo.
“[ECOWAS] requests the UN Security Council to strengthen the mandate of the UN operation in Ivory Coast, enabling the mission to use all necessary means to protect life and property, and to facilitate the immediate transfer of power to Mr Alassane Ouattara,” a communique issued after a summit said.
“[It] also requests the UN Security Council to adopt more stringent international targeted sanctions against Mr Laurent Gbagbo and his associates,” said the statement released after talks in the Nigerian capital.
It did not spell out what moves it expected, but UN measures typically include asset freezes and travel bans. Gbagbo and his senior officials are subject to a range of EU and US sanctions aimed at cutting off his access to funds.
The UN Security Council was scheduled to meet later yesterday to discuss Ivory Coast and possible sanctions against Gbagbo.
They echoed earlier calls by former colonial ruler France, which has troops in the country, but has ruled out intervening itself.
“I think it [the UN mission] should ... play its role more efficiently because it has a mandate that allows it to use force,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.
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