Ivory Coast mercenary coup plot claims are absurd, says US

[David Guyatt]

Interestingly, a non-denial, denial by the US - so quite possibly true.

The government are hoping that offshore oil exploration will increase output from roughly 33,000 barrels of oil a day to over 200,000.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec...-coup-plot

Ivory Coast mercenary coup plot claims are absurd, says US

Interior minister alleges that American nationals entered Ivory Coast on mission to overthrow the president, Laurent Gbagbo

David Smith and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 29 December 2010 12.54 GMT


Ivory Coast interior minister Emile Guirieoulou alleged in a press conference that US nationals were involved in a plot to overthrow Laurent Gbagbo.

The United States has dismissed as "absurd" claims that it had sent mercenaries to Ivory Coast to oust president Laurent Gbagbo.

Gbagbo's interior minister, Emile Guirieoulou, alleged that 10 Americans who flew in, purportedly to investigate grenade damage to the US embassy, were involved in a plot to overthrow the embattled leader.

Guirieoulou told a press conference: "This plane was supposed to disembark some persons presented as American experts tasked to evaluate damages caused to the American embassy after a rocket attack during the opposition demonstration.

"The plane has asked and been granted permission to land in Abidjan. Surprisingly, the plane, which arrived from Algiers, finally landed in [Ivory Coast's northern capital of] Bouake and later left. We have good reasons to think that the 10 Americans who disembarked are mercenaries."

Rumours of outside intervention have been circulating in the Ivorian press. The Notre Voie newspaper reported: "To impose [opposition leader Alassane] Ouattara on Ivorians, mercenaries have been recruited to transform Abidjan into a battlefield," adding that German and French operatives have been hired "to assassinate Ivorian authorities including president Laurent Gbagbo".

The paper also alleged that the US embassy in Abidjan is harbouring "some 50 war-trained American GIs" whose mission is to organise "an attack against the Ivorian president".

Mark Toner, a spokesman for the US state department, described the charges as "absurd" and "ridiculous", the Voice of America reported.

The US has joined the UN, EU and African Union in calling for Gbagbo to stand down after presidential elections on 28 November, but he has refused to accept defeat by Ouattara.

Amid widespread reports of human rights abuses, almost 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Ivory Coast for neighbouring Liberia, according to the UN refugee agency.

State-controlled TV has indicated that several million African nationals living in Ivory Coast might be at risk if threats from African countries of military intervention against Gbagbo continue.

West African leaders are considering their next move after Gbagbo rebuffed their ultimatum to step down or face removal by force.

The presidents of Sierra Leone, Benin and Cape Verde are to brief their Nigerian counterpart, Goodluck Jonathan, today in Abuja after they left Ivory Coast without Gbagbo, whom they had hoped to accompany into exile.

Asked about the timing of the next meeting, the Gbagbo's foreign minister, Alcide Djédjé, said it would be around 2 January.

Nigeria is the most powerful member of the 15-nation regional bloc Ecowas, which has vowed to use "legitimate force" if Gbagbo does not relinquish power.

In a sign of escalating tensions, the UN mission said one of its peacekeepers had been wounded with a machete when a large crowd in a pro-Gbagbo neighbourhood encircled a convoy and set one of its three vehicles on fire.

Weeks of post-election violence may have left 200 people dead, according to the US. Human rights groups blame security forces associated with Gbagbo for hundreds of arrests and dozens of cases of torture and disappearances.

The UN has said it was unable to investigate reports of a mass grave because of restrictions on the movement of its personnel.