Swiss freeze $81 million in assets linked to Gbagbo

Switzerland has frozen 70 million Swiss francs ($81 million) linked to former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and his associates, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Gbagbo had refused to leave power after an election last November that U.N.-certified results showed he had lost.

Switzerland ordered his assets seized in January to prevent them being diverted before Ivory Coast could launch domestic criminal proceedings, the ministry's statement said.

The election victor, Alassane Ouattara, finally took control in April when his forces, backed by French and U.N. soldiers, captured Gbagbo after days of heavy fighting.

The funds are blocked for up to three years under the Swiss cabinet's order, pending a request from Ivory Coast for legal assistance, on the basis of its own criminal proceedings against Gbagbo.

Folco Galli, spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry, said no such request had been received yet.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/05/us-swiss-gbagbo-idUSTRE74467K20110505

Ivory Coast president urges calm after Gbagbo is arrested

(CNN) -- Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara called for calm Monday after forces stormed the president's residence and arrested Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to accept the results of a presidential election last year plunged the West African nation into civil war.

"Finally, we have reached the dawn of a new era of hope," Ouattara said in a televised address. "We had hoped this transfer had been different, but we have to focus on today."

He urged his countrymen to lay down their weapons and said he has asked the justice minister to start legal proceedings against Gbagbo, his wife and his colleagues. Gbagbo is being held at the Golf Hotel, the headquarters of both Ouattara and the United Nations.

Fighting appeared to quickly end after Gbagbo's arrest, said Alain Le Roy, under-secretary-general of the United Nations' Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

"To my knowledge, most of the fighting has stopped," he said, adding that "there are pockets of resistance here and there."

Gbagbo asked for and is receiving U.N. protection, according to Le Roy, who said forces are also ensuring the security of the former leader's wife.

"I understand from President Ouattara that he wants President Gbagbo to go on trial in Ivory Coast," said the U.N. official.

The former president "is well and alive and will be brought to justice," said the country's ambassador to the United Nations, Youssoufou Bamba. He and the French Embassy said forces loyal to Ouattara made the arrest.

But a Gbagbo adviser, Ahoua Don Mello, said earlier that the French military had stormed Gbagbo's residence. The French Ministry of Defense rejected Don Mello's claim, saying no French troops entered the residence.

Authorities are trying to move carefully and follow legal procedures to bring Gbagbo to trial, said a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the events, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

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http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/11/ivory.coast.crisis/?hpt=T2

UN, French forces attack Gbagbo's residence

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhuanet) -- United Nations and French helicopters have reportedly fired missiles at the residence in Abidjan of Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, who is holed up in a bunker.

UN officials say Sunday's airstrikes were a response to attacks by Gbagbo's forces in recent days on the UN mission's headquarters in Cote d'Ivoire and on civilians.

They say the helicopter attacks targeted Gbagbo's heavy weapons.

Gbagbo has been holed up in the bunker for the past week but his forces have stepped up their resistance.

A spokesman for Gbagbo's faction admitted the air strikes had partially destroyed their leader's residence,blaming France for what they called an assassination attempt.

The UN and French airstrikes came just a day after Gbagbo's fighters attacked the Golf Hotel, the headquarters of his presidential rival Alassane Ouattara, who is internationally recognized as the winner of last year's election.

Earlier in the day, French troops had helped evacuate citizens from neighborhoods across Abidjan, after Gbagbo's forces had fired at French helicopters.

As the military standoff dragged on in the capital, there are also fresh concerns about the tensions developing into deadly violence in the west of Cote d'Ivoire where dozens of bodies have been found in the past few days according to the UN.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-04/11/c_13823132.htm

Gbagbo Adviser: U.N. Unable to Resolve Ivorian Crisis

A special adviser to embattled Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo said the United Nations has once again demonstrated that it is unable to resolve the ongoing crisis in Ivory Coast following the disputed 28th November presidential run-off vote.

Ambassador Yao Gnamien, who is currently in Europe to lobby for support of Mr. Gbagbo’s administration, will continue to seek a face-to-face dialogue with his rival, President-Elect Alassane Ouattara, to resolve the ongoing crisis.

“Since the year 2002, I think that the United Nations has proved that they cannot help the Ivorians reach the peace they need in our country. So, it is a situation that can lead to another controversy between the people of Cote d’Ivoire and the so-called international community,” said Gnamien.

“We think that the decision of the U.N. Security Council is not new, (because) it’s in the same line like what they did in the year 2002 when they allowed these rebels to come and attack the government of Cote d’Ivoire. I think that we cannot change our attitude. We will negotiate and then we will find a solution to our crisis.”

The U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to send 2,000 additional peacekeepers to Ivory Coast. Ambassador Gnamien said the world body erred by approving the additional troops.

“We believe that the power belongs to the people in Ivory Coast. Did you see what happened in Tunisia? Did anybody call the people to overthrow the president?” he asked.

“If you want, we can experience something. We will allow Prime Minister Ouattara to call the people of Cote d’Ivoire to overthrow President Gbagbo. Nothing will happen. But, if President Gbagbo calls the people of Cote d’Ivoire to go and overthrow Mr. Ouattara, it will be within 15 minutes. But, we don’t need this kind of situation.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Gbagbo has rejected Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a mediator in the country's political crisis.

Mr. Gbagbo's foreign minister said Wednesday that Mr. Odinga, the African Union's official mediator, has sided with Mr. Gbagbo's presidential rival.

The minister said the Gbagbo government is “no longer prepared to receive” the Kenyan prime minister.

Mr. Odinga left Abidjan earlier Wednesday, after holding separate talks with with both men. Mr. Odinga said there had been no breakthrough in the talks. He appeared to blame Mr. Gbagbo for the lack of progress saying he broke a promise to lift the blockade around the hotel serving as Mr. Ouattara's temporary headquarters.

“I think that Prime Minister Odinga did not act like an African. He just repeated the lesson that has been told by the so-called international community,” said Ambassador Gnamien.

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http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Gbagbo-Adviser-UN-Unable-to-Resolve-Ivorian-Crisis--114245399.html

Ivory Coast UN ambassador warns of genocide risk

Ivory Coast's newly appointed ambassador to the UN has warned the country is "on the brink of genocide".

In a TV interview, Youssoufou Bamba said there had been large scale violation of human rights as a result of the ongoing political unrest.

Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down despite his rival, Alassane Ouattara, being internationally accepted as the presidential election winner.

The UN has accused state media of inciting hatred against it.

Mr Gbagbo has said Mr Ouattara's victory in November was illegitimate. Both men have been sworn in as president.

Mr Bamba, who was appointed by Mr Ouattara, was formally welcomed at the UN's New York headquarters on Wednesday, solidifying UN support for Mr Ouattara.

At a press conference, Mr Bamba said Mr Ouattara had been elected in a "free, fair, transparent, democratic election".

"To me the debate is over, now you are talking about how and when Mr Gbagbo will leave office," he said.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12091738