Fighting breaks out in Ivory Coast Gbagbo stronghold

[DMac]

Fighting breaks out in Ivory Coast Gbagbo stronghold (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/14/us-ivorycoast-fighting-idUSTRE72D4KO20110314?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true)

snip

(Reuters) - Gunfire and explosions broke out in an Abidjan stronghold of Laurent Gbagbo, just outside the private house of his army chief, witnesses and a security source said, but state TV denied his residence had been attacked.

[DMac]

Ivory Coast on the brink of civil war (http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/current-events/ivory-coast-brink-civil-war-562390.html)

Heavy gunfire in suburb of Ivory Coast capital (http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Heavy+gunfire+suburb+Ivory+Coast+capital/4441679/story.html)

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/4441799.bin

[DMac]

Human Rights Watch Accuses Gbagbo Allies Targeting Foreigners in Ivory Coast (http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Human-Rights-Watch-Accuses-Gbagbo-Allies-Targeting-Foreigners-in-Ivory-Coast-118135624.html)

Human rights officials say allies of Ivory Coast's incumbent president are targeting foreigners in a campaign of violence that may constitute war crimes. The U.N. certified winner of Ivory Coast's presidential vote says attacks on foreigners must end.

Human Rights Watch says soldiers and militia loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo are attacking immigrants from other West Africa countries, notably Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria.

The group says pro-Gbagbo forces are increasingly engaged in a stream of deadly abuse with no apparent fear of being investigated or held accountable.

Over the last three weeks, Human Rights Watch says it has documented the beating or burning to death of at least 14 West African nationals, as well as the widespread looting of numerous shops and houses they own, and the systematic expulsion of West Africans from areas in at least three neighborhoods of the commercial capital, Abidjan.

Witnesses described victims being beaten to death with clubs, large pieces of concrete, knives, axes, and machetes, while others were doused with petrol and set ablaze.

Mr. Gbagbo made the question of Ivorian identity central to his re-election campaign, challenging the nationality and loyalty of former prime minister Alassane Ouattara by telling voters that the only "real" Ivorian in the race was Laurent Gbagbo.

The African Union last week certified Mr. Ouattara as the rightful winner of November's vote joining the Economic Community of West African States, the European Union, the United Nations, and the United States in calling on Mr. Gbagbo to give up power.

Mr. Ouattara says immigrants who came to Ivory Coast are welcome to stay and the violence against them must end.

In a television broadcast from the hotel where he is guarded by U.N. peacekeepers, Mr. Ouattara said the debate about the presidential election is over. As president, he pledged to reconcile all Ivorians from all regions as well as what he called "brothers and sisters who have come from elsewhere and for whom Ivory Coast is a land of hospitality", urging everyone to stifle their resentments and build a country that goes beyond the ties of blood.

The International Organization for Migration is evacuating more than 400 Mauritanians at the request of the government in Nouakchott. The group says more than 6,000 Ghanaians have returned home since the violence began in December and many workers from Guinea are crossing back into their own country along with Ivorian refugees.

[Glass]

Ah, the good ol' UN. Ethnic cleansing. Nicely done.

[DMac]

UPDATE 3-Two cocoa towns fall as Ivory Coast conflict grows (http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE72S0K920110329)

snip


* Ivory Coast's civil war is fully reignited

* Election dispute has triggered violent backlash

* Ouattara froces advance in east and west

(Adds diplomat comment, cocoa price, updates displaced)

By Ange Aboa and Tim Cocks

ABIDJAN, March 29 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara seized two major towns in the western cocoa belt overnight, in an offensive that is also picking up momentum in the east of the country.

Witnesses and fighters from both sides said on Tuesday that the former rebels, who have controlled northern Ivory Coast since the civil war of 2002-3, had seized Daloa from incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo's troops.

They also took Duekoue, further to the west. Both towns potentially opening up a route to the major exporting port of San Pedro. The area they now control produces about 600,000 tonnes of cocoa a year, half of Ivory Coast's output.

[DMac]

Cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_production_in_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire)

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) leads the world in production and export of the cocoa beans used in the manufacture of chocolate, supplying 46% of cocoa produced in the world.

[DMac]

What did this "mysterious investor" know?

Mystery Investor Buys Every Cocoa Bean in Europe (http://www.newser.com/story/95859/mystery-investor-buys-every-cocoa-bean-in-europe.html)


Posted Jul 19, 2010

(Newser) – The supply of cocoa beans sitting in warehouses across Europe could fill more than 5 Titanics, and as of last week it all belongs to one mysterious figure. An anonymous investor sparked intrigue last week when he, she, or they bought 241,000 tons of cocoa—essentially, every cocoa bean in Europe. The massive deal rocked the global cocoa market, sending the bean to its highest price since 1977, the Telegraph reports.


Analysts said the buy doesn't look like the work of a chocolate company. More likely, a group of investors is cornering the market to force the price of cocoa higher. After a series of bad harvests and recent flooding in West African nations where the crop is grown—plus growing demand for chocolate from China and India—prices were already high. But cornering the market doesn't explain one curious detail of the deal: The investor took delivery of the actual beans rather than just buying futures, as is typical in commodity trades.

[mick silver]

maybe we can have a no fly zone there too

[mightymanx]

I am still trying to grasp how this is somthing other than completly normal for Africa.

At any given moment there is at least one civil war and one genocide movement in place.

There must be some reason TPTB want to advertise this particular African atrocity, because rape muder civil war and genocide has hardly ever been news worthy if it is in Africa.

[DMac]

I am still trying to grasp how this is somthing other than completly normal for Africa.

At any given moment there is at least one civil war and one genocide movement in place.

There must be some reason TPTB want to advertise this particular African atrocity, because rape muder civil war and genocide has hardly ever been news worthy if it is in Africa.


Someone is trying to take over the cocoa trade. Chocolate is good business.

From the Wiki I posted above:

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) leads the world in production and export of the cocoa beans used in the manufacture of chocolate,[1] supplying 46% of cocoa produced in the world. West Africa, collectively supplies nearly 70% of the world's cocoa crop, with Côte d'Ivoire leading production at 1.3 million tonnes, followed by neighboring Ghana with 720 thousand tonnes.[2][3] Côte d'Ivoire overtook Ghana as the world's leading producer of cocoa beans in 1978.[4] Large chocolate producers such as Cadbury, Hershey's, and Nestle buy Ivorian cocoa futures and options through Euronext whereby world prices are set.

HERSHEY COMPANY (THE) (NYSE:HSY ) $54.46 current price per share

Cadbury is owned by Kraft
Kraft Foods Inc. (Public, NYSE:KFT) $31.12 current price per share

Nestle is owned by a parent Swiss company, Nestle SA
OTC $57.10 current price per share (Nestle SA is a $101 billion a year firm)



http://www.icco.org/statistics/daily_prices.aspx

Daily Price 28 Mar 2011
ICCO daily price (SDRs per tonne) 2095.86
ICCO daily price (US$ per tonne) 3311.31
London futures (£ sterling per tonne) 2116.00
New York futures (US$ per tonne) 3241.67

Yearly cocoa output of the Ivory Coast (in USD) is $43,047,030.00 (if my math is correct), for the raw material. It doesn't look like much but that is 70% of global supply. Chocolate is an important resource for all developed nations.


Africa is the world's most resource rich area and has been raped of their resources for all time. Coltan in the Congo (genocide & civil war) is another example.

The companies listed above absolutely require cocoa to continue their enormous profit lines.

The French, Swiss and Belgians have a long and bloody history in supporting various genocides and civil wars in Africa.



I think we are hitting the period of "peak everything", the wise are getting their materials for future production setup by any means necessary.


I am still trying to grasp how this is somthing other than completly normal for Africa.

These nations have been running amok in Africa for centuries.

The Chinese are only recent players in Africa with less than 100 years experience.

[mick silver]

few more weeks we can wars going on all over the earth . anyone else think thats the plan

[DMac]

Ouattara says forces ’at gates’ of Ivory Coast’s Abidjan (http://www.ewn.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=62916)

snips




vory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara said his forces were "at the gates" of Abidjan on Thursday after a rapid advance aimed at unseating his rival Laurent Gbagbo.

Ouattara called on the remaining Gbagbo loyalists to switch sides to prevent further suffering.

Pro-Ouattara forces took the key cocoa port of San Pedro overnight and residents said they had moved eastwards towards Abidjan. In a further blow to Gbagbo, his army chief of staff sought refuge in the South African ambassador’s residence in Abidjan, the South African government said.

(dmac note- I don't understand why prices would fall if supply is being threatened ???) Cocoa prices have tumbled since the push began. The capture of San Pedro, which ships half of the top grower’s beans, could, in theory, mean a resumption in exports.

Diplomats said on Thursday that European Union sanctions, including an embargo on cocoa shipments from San Pedro, would remain in place and if any exemption were discussed it would take four or five days to come into force.


WEST AFRICANS SLAUGHTERED

At least 472 people have been confirmed killed since the standoff began, according to the United Nations, and a humanitarian crisis is worsening, with a million people displaced from the commercial capital Abidjan alone.


Ivorian state media have said the rebels are foreigners from neighbouring West African states, prompting many killings.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said it had documented the killing of 37 West African immigrants by pro-Gbagbo militia in a village in Ivory Coast’s west on March 22 alone, warning that crimes against humanity may have been committed.

Thousands of people have sought shelter in churches and public buildings and at least 112,000 have crossed into Liberia to the west.


In a sign violence could spin out of control, the army called on Gbagbo’s often violent youth wing to enlist in the military. They have been fired up with anti-French, anti-foreigner and anti-U.N. propaganda, and on Wednesday the army started openly handing out weapons to them.

[DMac]

http://mappery.com/maps/Ivory-Coast-Map.mediumthumb.jpg


http://www.spentcaustic.com/tragedy_files/IvoryCoastAfricaMap.jpg

[DMac]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWYg47Q1bpQ


Uploaded by RussiaToday on Apr 5, 2011

The United Nations and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters Monday on the arsenal of Ivory Coast's entrenched ruler, as columns of foot soldiers finally pierced the city limit. The fighters aiming to topple Laurent Gbagbo after a decade in power had succeeded in taking nearly the entire countryside in just three days last week, but they faltered once they reached the country's largest city, where the presidential palace and residence are located. Monday's offensive marked an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to oust Gbagbo, who lost the presidential election in November yet has refused to cede power to Alassane Ouattara even as the world's largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war.

[DMac]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEsuFmU46Yc


Uploaded by RussiaToday on Apr 5, 2011

UN and French troops bombarded targets around the residence of Laurent Gbagbo in the city of Abidjan. The UN says its raids were carried out to protect civilians. Forces loyal to the internationally recognised winner of the presidential poll Alassane Ouattara have since claimed to have captured the palace. He'd been refusing to cede power ever since losing last November's election. Hundreds have been killed during a week of fighting in the country. Moe Seager from the Americans Against the War group says by intervening in Ivory Coast, the UN and France were actually pursuing a double goal.

[DMac]

Ivory Coast Leader Swayed by Force as He Considers Exit (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/world/africa/06ivory.html?_r=1)


snip

TAKORADI, Ghana — Holed up in a bunker under his residence, Ivory Coast’s strongman, Laurent Gbagbo, negotiated the terms of his potential surrender on Tuesday, as opposition forces closed in, his generals called on their forces to lay down their arms and French and United Nations negotiators demanded that he officially renounce control of the country.

[Horn]

Its almost as if there is war, or nuclear fallout at the supply chains before they are able to falter from the petro-dollar?

[DMac]

Video of French APCs rolling through Abidjan as Ivory Coast still tense

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLEfNk2IlIM

Ivorians in Abidjan ventured out of their homes on Wednesday, some to collect water, as the city remained tense with the country's strongman Laurent Gbagbo holed up in a subterranean bunker and forces backing his rival Alassane Ouattara assaulting his residence to try to force him out. Some local residents cheered on the side of a road as French armoured personnel carriers drove by. United Nations attack helicopters helped by French troops bombarded the ruler's arsenal late Monday, acting on a Security Council resolution.

[DMac]

Blue Helmet Bombers: UN attack in Ivory Coast 'hard blow to image'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub5pphR5f_Q

Russia wants an explanation from the UN over its use of force in Ivory Coast, which is currently gripped by civil conflict. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has questioned if it was legal for international peacekeepers to support one of the presidential claimants. UN and French troops bombarded targets around the residence of incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo in the city of Abidjan. The UN says its raids were carried out to protect civilians.

[gunDriller]

i don't suppose this would have anything to do with OIL ?

[DMac]

i don't suppose this would have anything to do with OIL ?



The Ivory Coast is a former French protectorate. Let's keep that in mind.

I didn't think so at first (never heard of oil in Ivory Coast). But after reading your post I did some quick searching...

'Ivory Coast oil find claim has serious implications' (http://news.myjoyonline.com/business/201003/43007.asp)

Cote d'Ivoire lays claim to Ghana's oil (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=177840)

snip

The news of Ivory Coast’s claim to parts of Ghana’s oil fields comes just days after United States operator Vanco struck oil in the deep-water Dzata-1 well, off Ghana’s Cape Three Points near Ivory Coast, further boosting the oil wealth in Ghana’s booming offshore Tano basin.


http://74.54.19.227/GHP/img/pics/56152561.jpg


Total Oil in Ghana (also a lot of Nat gas):

http://ghanaoilinfo.com/?page=facts

Currently, the country has identified seven major oil fields offshore Ghana, this is believed to contained reserves of over 1.8 billion barrels of oil and gas deposit.

Good call gundriller.

[JDRock]

Ivory Coast on the brink of civil war (http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/current-events/ivory-coast-brink-civil-war-562390.html)

Heavy gunfire in suburb of Ivory Coast capital (http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Heavy+gunfire+suburb+Ivory+Coast+capital/4441679/story.html)

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/4441799.bin




looks like any black neighborhood.

[mick silver]

all the stuff going on in the world right now about oil are gas .