US Sends Troops To Ivory Coast

The United States is sending troops to Ivory Coast to help protect US nationals there following days of hostilities between government troops and mutinous soldiers. The deployment - at the request of the US ambassador - comes as Ivorian army troops try to recapture the city of Bouake, which was seized by the rebels last week.

Heavy shooting has been reported close to a Christian school housing some 160, mainly American, schoolchildren.

A US Navy spokesman said the troops would "go there and assist in moving American citizens from the Christian Academy, where they are, to a safe location, still within Ivory Coast".

France has already reinforced its military presence in the country - its troops are ready to evacuate foreigners.

The bloody military uprising began last week when the rebels took control of Bouake and the northern town of Korhogo.

Three national African football teams who were competing in a tournament are also trapped in a hotel in Bouake.

Rebels say they are protesting at plans to expel them from the army. The government has accused them of trying to stage a coup.

About 300 Americans and 600 French national are trapped in Bouake and hostilities were reported to be metres away from the Christian school.

"Lots of the children are frightened," the school's administrator, Michel Cousineau told AFP news agency from the school.

Mr Cousineau said three military trucks carrying 60 soldiers were outside the school.

"They are sweeping the area and firing shots from time to time. Gunfire is going on in the distance, and it's heavy at times," he said.

It is not clear how many troops the US European Command is sending to Ivory Coast.

Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Don Sewell said the forces would "ensure the safety of our American citizens".

France - the former colonial power - has reinforced its military presence in Ivory Coast and its troops are on standby to help evacuate foreigners.

Ups and downs Before 1999 - Relative calm and stability 1999 - Coup; General Guei takes power 2000 - Guei flees after rigging elections; Gbagbo wins controversial elections 2001 - coup attempt fails 2002 Troops mutiny, Guei killed

Some 250 soldiers, with armoured vehicles and helicopters, have set up a base in the capital, Yamoussoukro, though they are still some 100 km away from Bouake, where there are thought to be about 600 French and 300 Americans.

France has agreements with the Ivory Coast to help restore order if necessary, but is keen to avoid having to stage a rescue operation.

On the diplomatic front, leaders of half a dozen African countries are expected to meet in Morocco on Thursday with the aim of finding a solution to the crisis.

Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has been invited. A representative of France is expected to attend the meeting, which could include the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Togo.

France is trying to get the government of its former colony to open talks with the rebels.

As well as Bouake, the rebels hold another city - Korhogo - and other parts of the north.

The government still say they are preparing to retake it all, beginning with Bouake.

In Abidjan, main opposition leader Alassane Ouattara accused the paramilitary police of trying to kill him in the early hours of the uprising last Thursday.

"It's clear they are using this situation to try to liquidate and eliminate people in my party," he told AP news agency from the French embassy, where he fled.

Mr Ouattara's supporters are mainly Muslim northerners and have often clashed with President Gbagbo's mostly Christian followers from the south.

Mr Ouattara said several members of his party had been arrested in recent days and he had told senior party officials to go into hiding.

I'm reading a book called "Ends of the Earth" by Robert D. Kaplan. It's a mixture of a poli-sci, history and travel book and is brilliant.

In it he travels to various 3rd world hell holes, many of which are on the West Coast of Africa. The Ivory Coast is one of the places he went and wrote about, and it literally sounds like hell on earth, just like the rest of the African nations he's visited.

I would definately recommend this book if you want to learn about the history and living conditions of these cess pools. It's an amazing read.

Mr Ouattara's supporters are mainly Muslim northerners and have often clashed with President Gbagbo's mostly Christian followers from the south

The religion of peace strikes again.

They remind me of Eddie Murphy's skit on SNL.

"Kill The White Man! Kill The White Man!"

Will Western civilization ever come to the realization that this is no longer a joke?

US Forces Head to Ivory Coast
VOA News
24 Sep 2002 15:17 UTC

United States army forces are heading to Ivory Coast to ensure the safety of American citizens there, including children trapped in a missionary school.

U.S. military officials say about 200 troops left Europe Tuesday and are on their way to the troubled West African country.

The decision to send U.S. troops was made after a request from the U.S. embassy in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan.

An estimated 2,000 Americans live in Ivory Coast. However, officials say U.S. troops are not evacuating U.S. citizens.

Heavy gunfire erupted Tuesday in the central city of Bouake, which rebel soldiers took over last week after a mutiny the government calls a failed coup attempt.

Fighting is raging outside the missionary school in Bouake, which is attended by several hundred foreign students, many of them Americans. Earlier Tuesday soldiers loyal to the Ivory Coast government entered Bouake. Mutinous soldiers also control several northern towns in Ivory Coast.

Troops from Ivory Coasts' former colonial power France are also in the country to protect foreign citizens, including several thousand French nationals. French officials say their troops will not interfere in the internal affairs of the country. Last Thursday, hundreds of soldiers staged an uprising in three separate parts of the country, including the main city, Abidjan - where the government is in control.

The uprising has killed an estimated 270 people, including the Interior Minister, Emile Boga Doudou, and former military ruler, Robert Guei. The government has accused Mr. Guei of organizing a coup attempt.

The rebel soldiers are said to be disgruntled over plans to demobilize them.

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=9278DE2F-4DB5-4028-A8846D6C0D022676

Eventually there may be a north-south division of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sudan, etc. Islamists from Pak and Saudi, or funded by them, fomenting a new identity and encouraging Sharia and war. 'Course, western press will blame Christians.

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