African Union Lifts Sanctions Against Ivory Coast as Alassane Ouattara Assumes Presidential Power
African Union Peace and Security Building (addis-online.com)
African Union concluded a long-drawn-out crisis as it lifted the sanctions imposed on Ivory Coast as a result of the refusal of former president Laurent Gbagbo to acknowledge Alassane Ouattara as winner of presidential runoff in November 2010.
After Gbagbo was ousted by the U.N. and French troops that stormed the bunker where he was hiding and captured him alive, Alassane Ouattara assumed power, thus putting and end to the internal crisis.
Consequently, the African Union decided on Thursday, during a meeting of its peace and security council, to lift sanctions against the west African country.
Alassane Ouattara, the new president of the country, was advised to promote measures that aim at reconciling people in his country, and to end the unrest that brought the country on the brink of war, causing hundreds of thousands to relocate or even free the country to the neighboring states.
Gbagbo and Ouattara competed in the runoff in November 2010, and both claimed victory, but the international community considered the latter victor, accusing the incumbent president of rigging elections.
As a result of this self-proclamation, Gbagbo refused to step down and placed Ouattara under house arrest in a hotel in the centre of the capital.
African Union, the continental body that comprises 50 African countries, and Ecowas, the regional economic organization for West Africa, sent many delegations to the purpose of convincing Gbagbo to relinquish power and go into exile, which he stubbornly refused.
A military intervention was considered but some states opposed this course of action, proposing a settlement of the matter by international sanctions imposed on Ivory Coast’s regime by African Union and Ecowas.
Thus, Ivorian banking system was told to refuse to endorse Gbagbo’s actions, while cocoa traders were also recommended to avoid dealing with the regime as means of weakening the president’s financial power.
Allasane Ouattara (cnn.com)
As the president kept holding on and his power did not show any sign of weakness, the military option was tabled again, especially after violent outbursts in the streets of the capital killed many people and forced others into exile.
Gbagbo was removed at the end of an action staged by UN troops, even though France and UN said that it was the rebel troops of Ouattara that accomplished the capture.
Gbagbo is waiting for his trial for the way he administered the country while president, and for the killings during the stalemate.
