Ivory Coast's rebel forces on Monday said they had put their troops on maximum alert, accusing President Laurent Gbagbo of planning a return to civil war in a nation still divided despite a fragile peace process.
The rebel statement came as West African leaders struggled to end a standoff between Gbagbo and his enemies that has raised fears of renewed fighting in the former French colony, where thousands of people were killed during the war.
"We are on a state of maximum alert. That means that the soldiers are really ready," rebel chief of staff Colonel Soumaila Bakayoko said. In an earlier statement, he said a "state of emergency" had been declared in rebel territory.
Ivory Coast plunged into civil war in September last year after rebels tried to oust Gbagbo. They failed but seized the north and large chunks of the west of the world's top cocoa grower.
A peace deal was agreed in January and rebels joined a power-sharing government, but they pulled out in September, accusing Gbagbo of undermining the accord to end the war in the still-divided nation.
Bakayoko said the Ivorian army chief of staff, General Mathias Doue, had "signed an act of war which anticipates a renewal of hostilities with attacks on the cities of Man and Bouake," both rebel-held strongholds.
The Ivorian army swiftly denied the claims.
"It's completely untrue. We respect the ceasefire," said spokesman N'Goran Aka, adding however that if the rebels breached the truce, the army would respond.
The rebel declaration came just two days after an emotional ceremony was held in the government-held city of Abidjan to honor 186 members of the security forces killed during the war.
In a speech at the commemoration, Doue warned the fighting could start again.
"Yes, that is still possible. And it could start again at any moment," he said.
Both sides have regularly accused the other of plotting a return to the battlefield. The rebels say Gbagbo has been buying weapons and eyewitnesses have seen crates of ammunition being unloaded from cargo planes in Abidjan over the past two weeks.
Gbagbo accuses the rebels of dragging their heels on disarmament and of conspiring to assassinate him.
West African leaders have been trying to negotiate an end to the deadlock, eager to avert further tensions in a nation that is home to millions of immigrants from neighboring countries.
Rebels have met with the leaders of Senegal and Togo in recent days and are due to meet the president of Ghana on Tuesday. Gbagbo has also held talks with his counterparts.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS