Ouattara calls for commando op in Ivory Coast

January 6, 2011 at 8:24 a.m.

by The Associated Press

A member of the security forces stands guard as people gather for a rally by youth leader Charles Ble Goude in support of Laurent Gbagbo, who recently named Goude to his cabinet, in the Koumassi neighborhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. While the United Nations and other world powers recognize rival Alassane Ouattara as the winner of November presidential elections, Gbagbo has refused to step down for more than a month after the presidential runoff vote. The 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS (The Economic Community Of West African States) has threatened to remove the incumbent leader if ongoing negotiations fail.
A member of the security forces stands guard as people gather for a rally by youth leader Charles Ble Goude in support of Laurent Gbagbo, who recently named Goude to his cabinet, in the Koumassi neighborhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. While the United Nations and other world powers recognize rival Alassane Ouattara as the winner of November presidential elections, Gbagbo has refused to step down for more than a month after the presidential runoff vote. The 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS (The Economic Community Of West African States) has threatened to remove the incumbent leader if ongoing negotiations fail.

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Alassane Ouattara says special forces from West African nations should remove Ivory Coast’s incumbent president from power, instead of a full-scale military operation.

The man recognized as the winner of Ivory Coast’s November presidential election told The Associated Press that incumbent Laurent Gbagbo “is essentially at his residence or at the presidential palace” and his location can be quickly identified.

Ouattara said he wants elite forces to carry out the operation.

The regional bloc of West African states, ECOWAS, has threatened military action, but in recent days African leaders have shied away from making a commitment to an armed invasion. They fear mass casualties and a possible return to civil war.

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