Henri Astier, BBC News
Excerpt:
From the start of the Ivory Coast conflict, the French force there - Unicorn - has found neutrality as elusive as the mythical creature it is named after.
Is Ivory Coast mission impossible for the Unicorn force?In 2003 France brokered a peace deal between President Laurent Gbagbo and northern rebels, and sent its soldiers to separate the two.
Is Ivory Coast mission impossible for the Unicorn force?In 2003 France brokered a peace deal between President Laurent Gbagbo and northern rebels, and sent its soldiers to separate the two.
But Mr Gbagbo did not regard the former colonial power as an honest broker, and relations between the two governments deteriorated fast.
They reached crisis point at the weekend, when Ivorian jets killed nine French soldiers in a bombing raid on the north, and France responded by crippling Ivory Coast's tiny air force.
Both sides afterwards said they wanted to de-escalate the crisis. But the French and Ivorian governments will find it hard to put the matter behind them.
Mata Musing:
I going to thoroughly enjoy following this story. The French "at war".... LOL!Chalk up another resounding UN peacekeeping failure for the books.....
4 comments:
This has just got to be quite agonizing for the French, Mata. They still haven't properly addressed the massacre in Rwanda. The UN did nothing. Bill Clinton did nothing. I forget how many months back, US citizens were being evacuated out of the Ivory Coast. Definitely worth keeping an eye on this situation.
I agree, mon ami Alia. French frustration must be running at an all time high on this one.
The AU has requested that the UN change it's mandate from UN "peacekeeping" to "peace enforcing". The UN has indicated full support for any and all actions taken by the French and the UN forces there.
It was an attempted coup back in Sept 2002 that cascaded into the ongoing civil war between the Ivory Coast southern loyalists and the northern rebels.
As a gesture of good will, the AU threw a summit for the warring factions over the weekend... of which both the Ivory Coast gov't and rebels refused to attend.
What's notable about this is that the Ivory Coast gained it's independence from France back in the 60's. One would think the French participation and their attempts at control over the Ivory Coast would be, how do I say this... less unilateral in appearance.
But there is no getting around it. Peace keeping and truces inevitably break down when under control of the UN. This is a constant in almost all UN efforts around the world. In fact, I have yet to be able to identify a UN peacekeeping "success".
Know of any?
And yet, this is the same UN (Un-tied Nations) that is granting the French carte-blanche to take control of Ivorian civil war, but has Secretary-General Kofi Annan send letters to President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, and Prime Minister Allawi warning them NOT to attack Fallujah. Hmmm....I see a double-standard here.
Oh but were the UN capable of discerning double standards, TrekMedic. Alas, the int'l body's stance indicates remains consistant. Meaning only those acting in accord with UN blessings are allowed the privilege of self-defense. Witness Israel's perpetual struggle for survival, despite being slapped down on every resolution put before the UN.
The UN's narrow focus can be best expressed by the character Mrs. Slocum from the ever-entertaining British sitcom, Are you Being Served:
"...and I am UNanimous in this"
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