West African Nations Preparing Plan to Oust Gbagbo
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West African military commanders are preparing contingency plans to remove Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo by force if he fails to peacefully transfer power to Alassane Ouattara, Nigerian Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Mohammed Yerimah said today.
“The committee of the chiefs of defense staff from West African countries started working on a contingency plan for a military option” at their meeting in Abuja on Dec. 27 and 28, Yerimah said in a phone interview from Kaduna, where he is celebrating New Year’s. Force would be “a last resort if the diplomatic option fails,” he said.