Kenya PM Urges Gbagbo to Step Down

Kenya’s prime minister urged incumbent president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, to step down in order to avoid removal by military force.
Kenya PM Urges Gbagbo to Step Down
1/2/2011
Updated:
1/2/2011
Kenya’s prime minister on Sunday urged incumbent president of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, to step down in order to avoid removal by military force, according to CNN.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Gbagbo will be granted indemnity if he agrees to step down, according to Bloomberg.

Gbagbo has refused to leave office after losing presidential elections last month.

The U.N., the United States, and the African Union have all declared that Gbagbo’s opponent, Alassane Outtara, was elected president.

In a telephone call with Outtara on Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated the international organization’s “principled and unwavering” support for his presidency.

The political deadlock has pushed the country to the brink of a civil war. At least 170 people have been killed, and tens of thousands of people have fled the country.