Cote D'Ivoire: Donors, Ex- South African President Sue For Peace

Cote D'Ivoire: Donors, Ex- South African President Sue For Peace

The African Union Chief mediator in the Ivorian political crisis, former South African President , Thabo Mbeki, has sued for peace between two claimants to the Cote D'ivoire presidential seat – incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and Presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara.

The incumbent, President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara have declared victory in last Sunday's presidential run-off.

Mbeki met Mr. Gbagbo at the presidential residence in Abidjan , before leaving for talks with Mr. Ouattara at the hotel where he is being guarded by United Nations troops.

Twists

Mr Alassane   Ouattara was initially declared the winner by the country's electoral commission securing over 54 per cent of the votes but a constitutional court overturned the result in Mr Gbagbo's favour.

But within hours, Mr Ouattara, a former prime minister, was himself sworn in at his Abidjan hotel.

Mr Ouattara immediately re-appointed Guillaume Soro as his prime minister. Mr Soro had tendered his resignation in Mr Gbagbo's administration just hours earlier.

Mr Soro - who is the head of the New Forces rebels in the north - has warned that overturning the results threatens to derail attempts to stabilise and reunify the country after the 2002 civil war.

Several countries and international organisations - including the US , the EU, France and the IMF - have also recognised Mr Ouattara.

International lenders say Cote D'ivoire Coast must resolve its political crisis soon or face being frozen out of aid deals.

The World Bank and African Development Bank say they will review their ties with the country following the ‘breakdown in governance' .

The EU has warned the crisis threatens regional stability and has hinted that economic sanctions could be imposed.

A disputed election has left the country with two presidents, who have begun naming separate cabinets.

In a joint statement, the development banks, which invest millions in projects designed to alleviate poverty, urged the politicians to break the impasse.

On Monday, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the crisis risked stability and peace in the country and the region.

A spokeswoman for the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said sanctions could be imposed if no solution was found.

International organisations and African leaders including Botswana 's President Ian Khama have called on Mr. Gbagbo to step down.

Mr. Khama described the situation as a ‘real tragedy' and urged all African leaders to condemn what is happening.

Meanwhile, reports from the main city Abidjan say some demonstrators were on the streets while many businesses remain closed.

The military has announced that the country's borders have been reopened, days after they were closed amid fears of violence.

Ivory Coast was split in two during a civil war in 2002.

This year's presidential election was the culmination of years of peace talks between the government and rebels which largely control the north of the country.

This development has turned the cocoa producing country into another round of violence from various political camps.

The African Union has warned the crisis could have ‘incalculable consequences'.

  Cote D'Ivorie Facts Check

• World's largest cocoa producer
• Once hailed as a model of stability, slipped into internal strife several years after death of first President Felix Houphouet-Boigny in 1993
• An armed rebellion in 2002 split the country between rebel north and government south
• A power-sharing government took over in 2007 with the ex-rebel leader as prime minister
• 2010: First presidential elections in 10 years-culmination of the peace process

NAN/BBC/Qasim/Yinka