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Thousands Rally in Abidjan in Support of Disputed President Laurent Gbagbo
Thousands of supporters of Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent Ivory Coast leader who refuses to relinquish the presidency of the West African nation, rallied in the center of Abidjan, paralyzing economic activity in the city.
At least 10,000 people heeded a call today by Gbagbo’s Youth Minister Charles Ble Goude to show their support for the embattled politician, whose rival Alassane Ouattara is the internationally recognized winner of a Nov. 28 election.
“We are here to ask God to protect Gbagbo,” said Justine Koukougnon, a teacher, in an interview. “We want to show Obama and Sarkozy that we, the Ivorians, know what’s best for us.”
The rally was attended by Pascal Affi N’Guessan, head of Gbagbo’s political party, and several ministers of his government. Shops remained closed across the area and traffic was at a minimum.
The world’s top cocoa producer “is close to civil war,” Gerard Araud, France’s ambassador to the United Nations. It has been mired in a political crisis since the election, with as many as 1 million people reported to have fled clashes in Abidjan, the country’s biggest city, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Residents of the northern neighborhood Abobo, where security forces loyal to Gbagbo have repeatedly clashed with insurgents backing Ouattara, said they heard gunfire and artillery last night.
At least 462 people have been killed since the elections, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations.
To contact the reporters on this story: Pauline Bax and Baudelaire Mieu in Abidjan via Accra at ebowers1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net.
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