To ensure safety for the population – The United Nations wants 2000 additional peacekeepers
Le Patriote – The United Nations will ask for 1000 or 2000 additional peacekeepers to be sent to Côte d'Ivoire whereas seven deaths have been registered in inter-ethnical confrontations, said the chief of peacekeeping operations, Alain Leroy, on Wednesday. He explained that the UN mission in the country was confronted to increasing hostility from the population because of false information given by the public television controlled by the Ivorian incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo. Mr. Leroy said he was concerned by inter-ethnical conflicts and he added that seven deaths have been registered during a recent confrontation between two ethnic groups in the west of the country. The UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has already reported 180 deaths due to the rivalry between Mr. Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, who was acknowledged by the international community as the elected president. Mr. Leroy said these additional peacekeepers were necessary to protect Mr. Ouattara's headquarters. In this regard, a request will be addressed to the UN Security Council in the days to come, said Mr. Leroy. "We are going to ask for reinforcement in the coming days to better exercise the mandate entrusted to us today. Some 1000 to 2000 (peacekeepers) I think", he added. (...)

Hate calls from Gbagbo's camp – The United Nations demands that hostile media campaign is stopped
Le Patriote "The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) denounced the launching of a media campaign against the United Nations by the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo's camp and demands that it is stopped immediately. "President Laurent Gbagbo's camp, through the Ivorian Radio Television (RTI) started the second phase of the hostile media campaign against UNOCI", said the mission in a press release issued on Wednesday, demanding that "the negative campaign is ceased immediately". "This campaign was planned by the leadership of President Gbagbo's camp on 29 December 2010. From this date, the RTI has been broadcasting images of two injured presented as victims, shot by peacekeepers who were carrying out patrols in Abobo. (...)

Civilians shot in Abobo: UNOCI is ashamed of its crimes
Le Temps – "Is the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire ashamed of its crimes? The question deserves an answer. Since yesterday Tuesday 5 January, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Young Jin Choi, in a press release, demanded that the Ivorian Radio Televion (RTI) stops what he calls "a campaign by the Gbagbo's camp against the institution he represents in Côte d'Ivoire". (...) since the holding of the presidential election on 28 November, UNOCI's soldiers, through their chief, Young Jin Choi, in spite of their impartial status, decided to support the defeated candidate, Alassane Dramane Ouattara. (...) with all these evidence, Young Jin Choi is guilty. Because he instructed his soldiers to shoot at Ivorians and FDS (...) it is therefore to be cleared that he issued this press release to ask the RTI's leadership to stop the broadcasting of these images."

Cote d'Ivoire: Odinga calls for continuation of diplomatic efforts
Le Temps – "The Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, an emissary of the African Union (AU), to resolve the political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, on Wednesday called for the regional organizations to continue diplomatic efforts and send a new mission to the country. On his return from a two-day mission in Abidjan, Mr. Odinga congratulated the determination of the AU and the ECOWAS (Economic Community of the West African States) to maintain their common position based on principle and work together in the search for a lasting solution to the crisis", said a press release. "In this regard, we call on the two organizations to send as soon as possible another mission to Côte d'Ivoire to continue the consultations between the two parties", added Mr. Odinga ..."

Resolution of post-electoral crisis - Alassane Ouattara categorical - « Recounting the votes is out of the question» -
L'Inter - « In an interview with FRANCE 24, Alassane Ouattara once again asked his rival Laurent Gbagbo to hand over power to him, while asking him to remain in Côte d`Ivoire rather than go in exile. « The most important thing is to preserve peace in Côte d`Ivoire », said Alassane Ouattara. The president designated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and recognised by most of the international community pleaded for a « peaceful solution » during an interview with FRANCE 24, the first since the second tour of the presidential election on 28 November. "It's because I am a man of peace that I extended my hand to Laurent Gbagbo all of last week.......(...) "There is no question of recounting votes or setting up a post-electoral evaluation committee » as suggested by Laurent Gbagbo, he further explained to FRANCE 24

After an exile proposal/ Alcide Djédjé responds to Barack Obama: "President Gbagbo does not need to go to Washington. He is comfortable where he is; he will remain where he is''
L'Intelligent d'Abidjan - « Laurent Gbagbo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, his excellency Alcide Djédjé, yesterday held a press conference at his ministry in Plateau, he said to put an end to the discordant sounds which are being made since the last joint ECOWAS and African Union mission aimed at resolving the post-electoral crisis. The former ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire to the United Nations also took the opportunity to make it known that President Laurent Gbagbo will not leave the presidential place before 2015. Referring to the blockade at Golf Hotel, Alcide Djédjé gave the following explanation « The Ivorian army believes that we cannot tolerate 300 heavily armed soldiers at this hotel. This constitutes a threat even to the President of the Republic whose residence is situated near there. (.....) »

Presidential election in Côte d`Ivoire – Was Gbagbo tricked? – Everything on the UN's certification
L'Inter - « Côte d`Ivoire is in a deep post-electoral crisis whose origins can only be found in the mechanism for validating the results of the 31 October and 28 November. If during the first round of the presidential election everything went well, it's the imbroglio regarding the proclamation of the final duel between Gbagbo and Ouattara which consequently led to the battle for the presidential chair between the two pretenders. In addition to the IEC, the ruling party and the opposition agreed to a certification of the electoral process by the United Nations Operation in Côte d`Ivoire (UNOCI). This institution having been considered until now a neutral eye in the resolution of the Ivorian crisis....(....)

Ivorian crisis: When presidents with problems set themselves up as good examples
Le Temps » In the resolution of the Ivorian crisis, it is the presidents with problems who want to give lessons to Côte d'Ivoire. To the RDR, moral principles are not things to share. That is why in the conquest of power Ouattara is not disturbed by support from certain African presidents who are not even examples of democracy, not only in the countries but in Africa......(...)

Resolution of post-electoral crisis: /ECOWAS and AU will not give up
Le Nouveau réveil - The diplomatic and political bullfight in the post- electoral blockage in Côte d'Ivoire continues, but no one can say exactly when, nor how it will end. Each camp seems intractable. At least uptil now. But the situation can evolve. In what sense? That is the great question. In a joint communiqué sanctioning the second round of African mediation confided in Presidents Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires of Cape Verde, Boni Yayi of Benin, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya, ECOWAS and the African Union did not admit the mission had failed. (....)

Post-electoral crisis: France collect soldiers to attack Côte d'Ivoire
Le Temps - France is frightened with regard to Côte d'Ivoire. And despite all the talk it has no intention of directly attacking Côte d'Ivoire. Meanwhile, it is looking for ways and means to indirectly go to war with Laurent Gbagbo's country. (....)

Post-electoral Crisis/Eric Ané reveals – "Bouaké is receiving arms" L'Intelligent d'Abidjan -« Eric Ané, executive coordinator of the voluntary communicators thinks that the use of mass media has taken on such proportions in the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire that according to him, the Gbagbo's administration must control the media war.

What do you think justifies the attitude of the international community towards Président Laurent Gbagbo?

One thing is certain Laurent Gbagbo, the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire is a headache for France and for Nicolas Sarkozy. From that we can understand all these diplomatic manouevres to make life difficult for President Laurent Gbagbo. I believe sincerely that it is a serious mistake not to link this post-electoral crisis to the rebellion on 19 September 2002. For us it is a continuation, the objective remains to get rid of Laurent Gbagbo by using destablisation instruments. The organisation of elections in Côte d'Ivoire was only a pretext to go on to the crucial phase.

What do you think could happen if negotiations fail?

It is in the interest of Mr. Ouattara, who lost the elections for the negotiations to succeed, because today, legally the president of the republic of Côte d'Ivoire is Laurent Gbagbo. His re-election respected all the rules of the game and right now what he has to do is take control of the situation.

Violents fights yesterday in Duékoué / The FDS overcome rebels from Man and Kouibly -
Notre Voie - The Defence and Security Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FDS) yesterday overcame rebels from Man and Kouibly, after intensive fighting in Duékoué (500 km west of Abidjan) "You the journalists, you can now go in the field and you're your photographs because we have chased them away.".(...) »

Duékoué – the situation worsens - 8 deaths during confrontations yesterday – The curate of the Catholic mission injured
L'Inter (pro-FPI) - « The appeal for calm made by the prefect of Duékoué, following inter-community clashes on Tuesday seem to have fallen on deaf ears. New clashes took place on Wednesday, 5 January, causing a lot of casualities. (...)

Duékoué/ three days after inter-community clashes, the murderous madness of the militias continues
Le Patriote - « Nothing seems to stop their murderous madness! It is exactly three days since Liberian mercenaries and Laurent Gbagbo's militias brought tragedy to the town of Duékoué. Yesterday again, the residents of "Latif" neighbourhood who are mostly Malinké, were woken up gunfire. The latest figures are two dead, one woman and one youth and a bakery reduced to ashes. According to witnesses, it was Colombo's militias, supported by militias recruited by local members of Laurent Gbagbo's camp. (.....)
Dominique Pin (former French diplomat in Côte d'Ivoire) - "Gbagbo is still believes in using terror"
Le Patriote - In an article in the French daily newspaper Libération, the former French diplomat Dominique Pin, who served in Abidjan between 2000 and 2002, accuse Laurent Gbagbo of wanting to « liquidate" Alassane Ouattara in September 2002. (..)