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Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is also an African Union envoy, said an African effort to mediate Côte d'Ivoire's disputed poll had failed, blaming incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and warning of harsh sanctions or force if he did not step down, Reuters reported Wednesday. "Despite extensive discussions with Mr Laurent Gbagbo and President-elect Alassane Ouattara, which went very late into the night, I regret to announce that the breakthrough that was needed did not materialize," Odinga told reporters at the airport as he was about to leave Abidjan. "Unless Gbagbo heed the call and agree to create a conducive environment for peaceful dialogue, the friends of Côte d'Ivoire might be forced to take other measures ... which would require additional, punishing, economic and financial sanctions, and possibly the use of force," Odinga added. The UN Security Council Wednesday ordered 2,000 extra troops to Côte d'Ivoire and demanded Gbagbo lift a military blockade of the internationally recognized president, Ouattara. The Swiss government Wednesday also increased pressure on Gbagbo by ordering a freeze on any funds held by him or his entourage in the country. Agencies |
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