France warned of long war in Ivory Coast
Foreigners seek shelter at French base
AFP, Paris
The Speaker of the Ivorian parliament Mamadou Coulibaly issued a stark warning to France yesterday that it faces a "long war" in Ivory coast after its intervention against government forces, and that French nationals in the country risk death at the hands of the mob. "We are really launched on a long, hard war. It will be a quagmire for the French. What has happened marks a turning point. Vietnam will be nothing compared with what we are going to do here," he said by telephone on France Info radio. Coulibaly, an ally of President Laurent Gbagbo, was speaking a day after French planes destroyed the Ivorian air force in retaliation for the killing of nine French troops, and French helicopters fired rockets to stop a crowd advancing on Abidjan airport. About 100 foreigners threatened by rioting and looting have taken shelter at French military barracks near Abidjan's international airport, a French military spokesman said yesterday. Earlier, three people were reported to have been shot dead as tens of thousands of Ivorians marched on the airport, controlled by French troops since a government air raid Saturday killed nine French peacekeepers and a US civilian.
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Men throw water on a blaze at the Librarie de France bookstore in Abidjan's chic Cocody quarter burns Saturday. Young "patriotic" partisans of President Laurent Gbagbo looted French property in Abidjan after French armed forces stationed here destroyed two government military aircraft, it was reported. PHOTO: AFP |
