Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo Recruits Soldiers For War

Strongman Laurent Gbagbo’s fiery youth leader on Saturday urged those willing to die for the Ivory Coast to enlist in his armed forces, as thousands fled post-election violence in Abidjan.

Charles Ble Goude, leader of the “Young Patriots”, Gbagbo’s most fervent and militant backers, rallied thousands of youths to fight as the outgoing president is condemned at home and abroad for the killings of civilians.

His speech came as thousands of citizens of Abidjan poured into bus stations to flee escalating violence after a three-month stand-off for the presidency of the world’s top cocoa producer.

“I ask all the youth of Ivory Coast who feel able, who are ready to die for their homeland, who can no longer accept the humiliation suffered by the Ivory Coast, to present themselves on Monday at 0700 (GMT) to the army chief of staff to enlist in the army in order to free Ivory Coast from these bandits,” said Ble Goude.

In recent weeks Gbagbo’s Defence and Security Forces (FDS) have clashed violently with fighters backing Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognised president of the Ivory Coast.

The epicentre of the violence in Abidjan has been the Ouattara stronghold of Abobo where Gbagbo’s camp is accused by the United Nations of launching mortars which killed up to 30 people on Thursday. The outgoing president has denounced this as a “conspiracy”.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned “Laurent Gbagbo’s continued attacks on unarmed civilians in Cote d’Ivoire and we demand an immediate end to this brutality.”

The United Nations spoke of crimes against humanity while France denounced “the deliberate massacre of civilians” after the attack.