Article

2011-04-29 Africa Subsaharan

[Al Jazeera] The leader of a militia that helped Alassane Ouattara
...the current president-for-life of Ivory Coast. He actually beat his predecessor in an election before having to eject him from the presidential palazzo....
defeat rival Laurent Gbagbo
... Former President-for-Life of Ivory Coast from 2000 to 2011. Laurent lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and he refused to vacate the presidential palace. French troops assisted the Oattara forces in extricating him from his Fuhrerbunker...
for the presidency in Ivory Coast has been killed.

Ibrahim Coulibaly died in a shootout on Wednesday after he and his men refused to obey presidential orders to disarm.

The Death Eaters have been accused of not meeting a deadline to surrender arms and join the new army under Ouattara.

"I can confirm that Ibrahim Coulibaly was killed during fighting today," Captain Alla Kouakou Leon, a defence ministry front man, told Rooters news agency.

Ouattara had on Friday ordered Coulibaly and his forces to disarm or expect to have weapons seized by force. Coulibaly said that disarming would take time to organise.

Coulibaly's 'Invisible Commando' Death Eaters had fought alongside what is now the Ivorian national army to topple Gbagbo.

Last week Coulibaly pledged loyalty to Ouattara saying his 5,000 men were ready to join to new army. He requested a meeting with Ouattara but was told to disarm without condition.

It is believed that Coulibaly turned the gun on himself instead of surrendering to a group that he once considered an ally.

Fighting broke out on Wednesday night in the Abidjan neighbourhood of Abobo near the militia's headquarters as Ouattara's forces attacked the Death Eaters.

"Our positions were attacked this morning by Republican Forces (FRCI) while our soldiers had met to wait for disarmament overseen by the UN," Felix Anoble, a front man for Coulibaly, said.

Coulibaly had led a successful 1999 coup that installed General Robert Guei, who was assassinated after elections in 2000.

In 2002 Coulibaly helped lead a failed coup against Gbagbo and made no secret of his own presidential aspirations. Later that year, he began the rebellion that divided Ivory Coast between a rebel-held north and government-run south.

Posted by Fred 2011-04-29 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

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