January 22, 2003

Rebels kill 29 Ivorian soldiers

The Ivory Coast army says at least 29 of its soldiers have been killed in an attack by rebels in the west of the country.

"The battle is continuing," a military representative told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
[...]
A French soldier injured in the attack had to have his arm amputated.

According to the BBC's correspondent in Abidjan, the latest clash raises grave concerns that Liberia is getting more involved in Ivory Coast's four-month civil war.

On Sunday, the Liberian Government demanded an explanation from the Ivorian authorities for a cross border attack into Liberian territory.

The latest round of hostilities have serious implications for the peace talks coming to an end in Paris.
Rebel leaders have not yet reached a deal.

The French Government is urging all sides to respect the ceasefire agreed before the talks.

Despite the progress made on some issues in Paris, there has been no breakthrough on the rebel demand for early elections, which our correspondent says will kill or complete a peace deal.

Before the talks began, rebels insisted President Laurent Gbagbo step down. He refused.

Mr Gbagbo meets French President Jacques Chirac on Friday, and West African presidents are due to take part in a second Paris conference over the weekend.

Looks like old Jacques has got his hands full, but he *did * make the decision to get French troops involved in this little (but getting bigger) spat.
I don't recall Chirac asking anyone's permission to act unilaterally in this...?
Given the small size and battle readiness of the French Army, is it any wonder that Jacques doesn't want to commit troops to our Iraq attack?
It's probably because he can't.
But I still think France may have sold Saddam some of his arsenal of nasties..and of course, there are the lucrative French oil contracts with Iraq,too.
Maybe Gerhard can lend his dear, close and intimate new friend Chirac some troops to go to the Ivory Coast--they like cocoa in Deutschland, too, you know!
[Aside, Lester Holt just reminded me on MSDNC that Germany was the first nation to use poison gas on the French in 1915.
Isn't it nice to see that the 2 countries can literally forgive and forget?]