NIGERIA: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan urges firmer UN stance on Ivory Coast during ECOWAS meeting

Record ID: 181740

  • Title: NIGERIA: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan urges firmer UN stance on Ivory Coast during ECOWAS meeting
  • Date: 24th March 2011
  • Summary: LEADERS AND JOURNALISTS AT THE MEETING MORE OF LEADERS SITTING AROUND TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GOODLUCK JONATHAN, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICA STATES (ECOWAS), SAYING: "As the situation in Cote d'Ivoire deteriorates with each passing day, we must not make the mistake of underestimating the threat it poses to the peace and security of the sub region." GHANA PRESIDENT JOHN EVANS ATTA MILLS AND TOGO PRESIDENT FAURE GNASSINGBE SITTING DOW PEOPLE LISTENING LIBERIAN PRESIDENT ELLE JOHNSON SIRLEAF AND CAPE VERDE PRESIDENT PEDRO PIRES SITTING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) GOODLUCK JONATHAN, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICA STATES (ECOWAS), SAYING: "I believe we can pass a resolution to request the United Nations to take a little more serious step in the Cote d'Ivoire situation." REPRESENTATIVE FROM COTE D'IVOIRE IVORY COAST REPRESENTATIVE LISTENING WADE AND COMPAORE SITTING DOWN HEADS OF STATE SITTING ROUND TABLET (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAID DJINNIT, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL IN WEST AFRICA, SAYING: "I wish to reiterate the support of the United Nations to the continued efforts of ECOWAS and the African Union in seeking an early and peaceful solution that respects the will of the people of Cote d'Ivoire as expressed during the last presidential election and that preserves the country and the sub region from further violence and civil strife." PEOPLE LISTENING MORE OF PEOPLE LISTENING AND APPLAUDING WOMEN'S GROUP PROTESTING THE VIOLENCE IN COTE D'IVOIRE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BARABRA BANGURA, FROMSIERA LEONE, SAYING: "The presentation is meant to re-energize ECOWAS to continue intervening and follow the conflict to its logical conclusion." MORE OF WOMEN GROUP PROTESTING
  • Embargoed: 8th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA77STLN2SX0ZRMBNIMIU5A6YG3
  • Story Text: Nigeria's president warns against underestimating the threat to regional security posed by the lingering political crisis in Ivory Coast and urges the UN to take a tougher stance to stop the violence.
    Leaders from the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Wednesday (March 23) urged the United Nations to take more decisive action in order to put an end to the political crisis in Ivory Coast.
    Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, the outgoing chairman of ECOWAS, said the ongoing strife in Ivory Coast threatened the whole region and posed a serious threat to security in West Africa.
    "As the situation in Cote d'Ivoire deteriorates with each passing day, we must not make the mistake of underestimating the threat it poses to the peace and security of the sub region," said Jonathan.
    Opening a summit of heads of state from regional West African bloc ECOWAS, Jonathan said he hoped the standoff in the former French colony could be solved without the use of force but urged the world body to take firmer steps.
    "I believe we can pass a resolution to request the United Nations to take a little more serious steps in the Cote d'Ivoire situation," he said at a the meeting attended by 12 of the 15 ECOWAS heads of state.
    Jonathan did not spell out what stronger action he wanted the world body to take.
    Nigeria is the linchpin of ECOWAS, which has threatened the use of force to push Gbagbo from power after he rejected U.N.-certified results that showed Ouattara won the election.
    Around 400 Ivorians have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes since the disputed poll.
    Said Djinnit, the special envoy for the United Nations Secretary General to West Africa said the U.N supported the continued efforts being made by the ECOWAS and the Africa Union to bring a peaceful solution to Ivory Coast.
    "I wish to reiterate the support of the UN to the continued efforts of ECOWAS and the African Union in seeking early and peaceful solution that respects the will of the people of Cote d'Ivoire as expressed during the last presidential election and that preserves the country and the sub region from further violence and civil strife," Djinnit said.
    The U.N. peacekeeping mission to Ivory Coast said on Tuesday (March 22) Gbagbo's forces were readying an attack helicopter and multiple rocket launchers, adding fuel to fear that the violent power struggle risks sending the country back to civil war.
    Gbagbo's camp has accused foreign powers of meddling in Ivory Coast's internal affairs and also rejected charges that its forces are responsible for the majority of the abuses.
    In a parallel event, a group of women protesters marched to the ECOWAS headquarters to call for an immediate end to the suffering of children and women in Ivory Coast.
    "The presentation is meant to re-energize ECOWAS to continue intervening and follow the conflict to its logical conclusion," said Barbara Bangura, a human rights activist form Sierra Leone.
    African states have been at odds over Ivory Coast and although Nigeria and Sierra Leone see Gbagbo's defiance as a risk to regional efforts to nurture democracy, the threat of force issued by ECOWAS in December has become more muted.
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