IVORY COAST: Thousands of Ivorians fleeing violence in Abidjan crowd main bus station hoping to escape

Record ID: 181639

  • Title: IVORY COAST: Thousands of Ivorians fleeing violence in Abidjan crowd main bus station hoping to escape
  • Date: 21st March 2011
  • Summary: PILES OF LUGGAGE WOMAN WAITING WITH LUGGAGE
  • Embargoed: 5th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cote d'Ivoire
  • Country: Ivory Coast
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA54QQ0UV920K61HQJEK3VG1J92
  • Story Text: Thousands of Ivorians fleeing violence in the commercial capital Abidjan gathered in its main bus station on Sunday (March 20), crowding onto buses carrying suitcases full of belongings they had salvaged to head to the countryside.
    Men pushed, shoved and sometimes fought to get onto packed buses, exhausted children sat or tried to sleep on piles of luggage at the station in Adjame, the scene of fierce fighting in the past week between forces backing incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara in an election dispute.
    ''We are leaving Abidjan now, with the mines (rockets) falling on us, on our roofs we don't know what to do. It is falling down on us day and night and we are tired, we are tired and the international community must help us,'' said civil servant Adama Diawara, in front a crowd of people taking refuge in a bus shelter.
    Bus station ticket touts were taking advantage of the situation by buying tickets up and charging double.
    "Since the day before yesterday, we've been here but we only managed to get a ticket at 2 a.m. this morning, now we have our ticket but we can't get into the bus to Bouake because of people making business, those who don't have a ticket are paying more inside the bus (to the driver) and they go,'' said Aicha Diabate, sitting in the station with her children.
    Gbagbo is refusing to cede power after an election that Ouattara won, according to electoral commission results that were approved by the United Nations and most world leaders.
    An influential youth leader and staunch Gbagbo supporter called on his "Young Patriot" followers on Saturday (March 19) to sign up for the army, stoking fears of all-out civil war.
    "I think both presidents should get out and we can start all over again with a third, that's enough suffering for our parents,'' shouted a man who gave his name only as Rougeau.
    The November 28 election was meant to reunite a country split since a 2002-3 war but Gbagbo's refusal to hand power to Ouattara, who has been backed by the former rebels still controlling the north, has pushed it to the brink of war.
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