Ivorians resigned to long-haul crisis

Abidjan, 10 Jan – (ANA) - Few Ivorians have the stomach for military intervention to oust Laurent Gbagbo after a disputed election, and many are resigned to a political deadlock which they fear could last months or even years.

Gbagbo is locked in a power struggle with rival Alassane Ouattara, internationally proclaimed as the winner of a November 28 presidential election that the incumbent refuses to concede.

Leaders of West Africa's region ECOWAS bloc have threatened Gbagbo with force but he maintains a grip both on the country's army and on funds from the cocoa sector, the world's largest.

The shabby, rubbish-filled streets of the main commercial city of Abidjan are slightly busier now than last month, when a street protest turned bloody as demonstrators clashed with security forces and prompted many people to stay indoors.

But the common sight of unemployed men spending their days drinking cheap beer at wooden shacks, attended by women trying to eke out a living by selling them fried bananas, underlines how the economy is still suffering from the stalemate.

"We don't want military force. It wouldn't solve anything," said student Amed Jimoh, 29, on the side of sandy, pot-holed road. He was too scared of reprisals to admit who he supported.

Abidjan was about split almost evenly, 52-48, between Gbagbo and Ouattara in the vote, electoral commission results showed.

"We hope all sides understand that we have to resolve this crisis without violence. We want a solution that brings peace," he said, reflecting fears among many that any military intervention could trigger a repeat of the 2002-2003 civil war.

His comments also echoed those of neighbouring Ghana's President John Atta Mills, who said on Friday his country would not take sides or support military action to oust Gbagbo.

Roughly one million Ghanaians live in Ivory Coast and, like other expatriates from around the region, could become targets for pro-Gbagbo mobs if a West African force invades. (ANA)

FA/ANA/10 January2011-------