Egypt, France airdrop aid to Gaza amid growing humanitarian crisis, global criticism of Israel    Supply minister discusses strengthening cooperation with ITFC    Egypt launches initiative with traders, manufacturers to reduce prices of essential goods    SCZONE chief discusses strengthening maritime, logistics cooperation with Panama    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Egypt reviews health insurance funding mechanism to ensure long-term sustainability    Gaza on verge of famine as war escalates, ceasefire talks stall    Gaza crisis, trade on agenda as Trump hosts Starmer in Scotland    Egyptian president follows up on initiatives to counter extremist thought    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    58 days that exposed IMF's contradictions on Egypt    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Armed and ready, Ouattara forces await Ivory Coast end game
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 04 - 04 - 2011

Northern outskirts of Abidjan -- Armed and ready, hundreds of troops loyal to Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara are waiting to launch what they say will be the final assault on Abidjan. And waiting...
"Today's the big day," a fighter who called himself Don told Reuters at a base camp just north of the economic capital on Sunday, one of hundreds of pro-Ouattara troops massed there.
He was wrong. The big push to unseat incumbent Laurent Gbagbo did not materialize, even though his commanding officer, Issiaka "Wattao" Ouattara, had also signaled earlier that Sunday was the day.
In the end, Wattao charged off north up the deserted motorway in a convoy of half a dozen 4x4s, in the opposite direction to Abidjan.
No explanation was given -- as none was given about the flying visit to the camp a few hours earlier by Ouattara's prime minister Guillaume Soro.
It was the third such day on which Ouattara's forces had promised the "final assault" to dislodge Gbagbo, loser of a 28 November election, according to UN-certified results.
Speaking later on Sunday on the pro-Ouattara TCI television channel, Soro said their strategy had been to encircle the city, harass Gbagbo's troops positions and gather intelligence on their arsenal.
"The situation is now ripe for a lightning offensive," he said.
MANGOU RETURNS
As early as last Thursday, Soro predicted Gbagbo had just two to three hours left in power.
While it might be premature to say the pro-Ouattara military push started only last Monday is losing momentum, the past few days have been more difficult.
Pro-Gbagbo forces have wrested back control of the state broadcaster RTI, which at the weekend showed unverified images of Gbagbo calmly sipping tea at what appeared to be his Abidjan residence.
In a morale-booster for the Gbagbo camp, national army chief Philippe Mangou has returned to the fold after briefly seeking refuge at the home of the South African ambassador, it emerged late Sunday.
The United Nations has raised concerns about the possible involvement of fighters linked to Ouattara's forces in hundreds of killings in the west -- something which Ouattara's camp denies.
After they swiftly seized swathes of the country, it was always expected that pro-Ouattara forces would meet more resistance as they meet elite Gbagbo troops at his bastions in downtown Abidjan.
Troops loyal to Gbagbo have held on to positions around the presidential palace and at his residence in the well-to-do Cocody suburb.
One Western diplomat said on Saturday Ouattara forces had been planning an attack on the presidential residence but it did not happen, possibly because members of the pro-Gbagbo youth wing, the Young Patriots, threw a human shield round it.
But sources in and around the Ouattara camp say the hesitation is also at least in part to do with divisions among top military brass jostling for influence in a post-Gbagbo government.
Fighters following Ibrahim "IB" Coulibaly -- a key figure in the so-called "invisible commandos" whose guerrilla tactics have foxed Gbagbo forces across Abidjan in recent weeks -- say their allegiance is to IB, not Ouattara.
"IB wants to be president. He is an idiot," Wattao told Reuters dismissively at the weekend.
An equally plausible explanation is that he and other commanders are simply biding their time for the right moment militarily -- but the question is how long they can wait.
A source inside Ouattara's camp denied that there were divisions within the ranks, adding that the final assault was taking a little longer than expected because they wanted to secure gains first.
At their camp, some of Wattao's men noted that Sunday's ration of bread came without the usual tin of sardines.
But the overall mood at the camp remained calm, almost jokey.
To much laughter, one man dressed in police uniform handed out pink parking tickets to drivers of pick-up trucks loaded with machine-guns that were parked in a row in the middle of the empty motorway.


Clic here to read the story from its source.