Alassane Ouattara, the internationally acknowledged winner of the Ivory Coast presidential run-off, called on Sunday for a general strike from Monday until Laurent Gbagbo hands over power, two days before three African leaders will visit Ivory Coast to encourage Gbagbo to leave office at once.
A month after the election runoff, Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi confirmed according to Reuters the call “for a general strike across the nation from tomorrow.”
In the cacao-exporting country not everyone answered the call. ANP news agency reported that many laborers in large harbor cities Abidjan and San Pedro continued to work, as they would have no food otherwise.
Tuesday three leaders of West African regional block Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will confront Gbagbo in Abidjan. They will offer him political asylum if he directly hands over power to Ouattara, AP reported.
ECOWAS had threatened Friday, according to AP, with military intervention if Gbagbo doesn’t step down. Since the election the U.N., African Union, ECOWAS, and the EU have all urged the former president, in vain, to step down.
A month after the election runoff, Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi confirmed according to Reuters the call “for a general strike across the nation from tomorrow.”
In the cacao-exporting country not everyone answered the call. ANP news agency reported that many laborers in large harbor cities Abidjan and San Pedro continued to work, as they would have no food otherwise.
Tuesday three leaders of West African regional block Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will confront Gbagbo in Abidjan. They will offer him political asylum if he directly hands over power to Ouattara, AP reported.
ECOWAS had threatened Friday, according to AP, with military intervention if Gbagbo doesn’t step down. Since the election the U.N., African Union, ECOWAS, and the EU have all urged the former president, in vain, to step down.
