Sunday, December 19, 2010

UN chief Ban rejects call for Ivory Coast troop pullout

Source: BBC News


UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has rejected a call for UN troops to leave Ivory Coast as tensions rise after last month's disputed presidential election.
Incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo had earlier demanded that all foreign peacekeepers leave the country.

His spokesperson accused UN and French troops of colluding with former rebels.

The UN and major powers have recognised Mr Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, as the winner of the 28 November poll. Mr Gbagbo insists he has won.

Mr Ouattara is currently under UN protection at a hotel in Abidjan.

In a statement read out on national television on Saturday, government spokeswoman Jacqueline Oble said Mr Gbagbo had "requested the immediate departure of the Unoci [UN mission] and the French forces supporting it".

The UN force, she added, had "interfered seriously in the internal affairs of Ivory Coast".

Mr Ban responded with his own statement saying the UN mission "will fulfil its mandate and will continue to monitor and document any human rights violations, incitement to hatred and violence, or attacks on UN peacekeepers".

Meanwhile, the UK government has urged British nationals to leave Ivory Coast unless they have pressing reasons to stay.

The US and France have previously advised their citizens against travelling to the West African country.

Sanction threat

On Friday, opposition supporters were arrested in Grand Bassam, about 30km (20 miles) east of Abidjan, and there are reports of several people being killed there.

A day earlier at least 20 people were killed in clashes between Mr Ouattara's supporters and the security forces.

The UN Security Council has warned that all sides will be held accountable under international law for any attacks against civilians.

The United Nations, the US, former colonial power France, and the African Union have all called on Mr Gbagbo to stand down.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday said he should quit by Sunday or face EU sanctions.

But Mr Gbagbo says the election was rigged by rebels who still hold the north after the civil war in 2002-03.

He was declared the winner by the Constitutional Council after it annulled votes in parts of the north.

Tensions have been building between Mr Gbagbo and the UN mission since it decided to recognise Mr Ouattara as the winner of the election.

A peace deal signed by all sides gave the UN a role in certifying the election results.

UN peacekeepers are currently defending the lagoon-side hotel that shelters Mr Ouattara's opposition government.

The UN's radio station Unoci FM is one of the few alternative news sources for Ivorians, after opposition newspapers were banned and many foreign news channels taken off the air.

Non-essential UN staff have already left.

News Headline

Inside Liberia with Bernard Gbayee Goah

Everyone is a genius

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – A Einstein

Drawing the line in Liberia

Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be blamed upon an entire nationality. In this case, Liberians! The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia. Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results. - Bernard Gbayee Goah



Men with unhealthy characters should not champion any noble cause

They pretend to advocate the cause of the people when their deeds in the dark mirror nothing else but EVIL!!
When evil and corrupt men try to champion a cause that is so noble … such cause, how noble it may be, becomes meaningless in the eyes of the people - Bernard Gbayee Goah.

If Liberia must move forward ...

If Liberia must move forward in order to claim its place as a civilized nation amongst world community of nations, come 2017 elections, Liberians must critically review the events of the past with honesty and objectivity. They must make a new commitment to seek lasting solutions. The track records of those who are presenting themselves as candidates for the position of "President of the Republic of Liberia" must be well examined. Liberians must be fair to themselves because results from the 2011 elections will determine the future of Liberia’s unborn generations to come - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's greatest problem!

While it is true that an individual may be held responsible for corruption and mismanagement of funds in government, the lack of proper system to work with may as well impede the process of ethical, managerial, and financial accountability - Bernard Gbayee Goah

What do I think should be done?

The situation in Liberia is Compound Complex and cannot be fixed unless the entire system of government is reinvented.
Liberia needs a workable but uncompromising system that will make the country an asylum free from abuse, and other forms of corruption.
Any attempt to institute the system mentioned above in the absence of rule of law is meaningless, and more detrimental to Liberia as a whole - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's Natural Resources
Besides land water and few other resources, most of Liberia’s dependable natural resources are not infinite, they are finite and therefore can be depleted.
Liberia’s gold, diamond, and other natural resources will not always be an available source of revenue generation for its people and its government. The need to invent a system in government that focuses on an alternative income generation method cannot be over emphasized at this point - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia needs a proper system
If Liberians refuse to erect a proper system in place that promotes the minimization of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by government institutions, and individuals, there will come a time when the value of the entire country will be seen as a large valueless land suited on the west coast of Africa with some polluted bodies of waters and nothing else. To have no system in place in any country is to have no respect for rule of law. To have no respect for rule of law is to believe in lawlessness. And where there is lawlessness, there is always corruption - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Solving problems in the absence of war talks

As political instability continues to increase in Africa, it has become abundantly clear that military intervention as a primary remedy to peace is not a durable solution. Such intervention only increases insecurity and massive economic hardship. An existing example which could be a valuable lesson for Liberia is Great Britain, and the US war on terror for the purpose of global security. The use of arms whether in peace keeping, occupation, or invasion as a primary means of solving problem has yield only little results. Military intervention by any country as the only solution to problem solving will result into massive military spending, economic hardship, more fear, and animosity as well as increase insecurity. The alternative is learning how to solve problems in the absence of war talks. The objective of such alternative must be to provide real sustainable human security which cannot be achieved through military arm intervention, or aggression. In order to achieve results that will make the peaceful coexistence of all mankind possible, there must be a common ground for the stories of all sides to be heard. I believe there are always three sides to every story: Their side of the story, Our side of the story, and The truth – Bernard Gbayee Goah

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