Machete-Waving Mobs Loot, Attack French Targets After Ivory Coast Clashes

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB8Y77391E.html

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - Machete-waving mobs thousands-strong looted and burned in Ivory Coast's largest city Sunday, laying siege to a French military base and searching house to house for French families.

The violence came one day after ground and air clashes between French forces and its former colony.

About 250 French troop reinforcements landed at Abidjan's international airport, which was taken by France late Saturday after it destroyed what it said was the entire Ivory Coast air force - two Sukhoi warplanes and five helicopter gunships.

The reinforcements, bolstering a 4,000-man French peacekeeping force, flew from the West African nation of Gabon, where France was holding three Mirage fighter jets on standby.

more

[billyoc]

1. Wow, do *they* use Diebold

for their elections too?

[Flagg]

2. Machete-Waving Mobs

just what we need right now

:eyes:

[NNN0LHI]

3. Just for the record

Isn't this French "peacekeeping force" in fact the "French owned cocoa plantation owners protection force"?

Don

[bemildred]

4. Maybe getting the jets shot down was not so dumb after all ... nt

[JPace]

5. Mobs waving machetes would be quite enough to make me move,

these people REALLY want change!

[Flagg]

6. Ivorian mobs turned back by rocket fire from French helicopters.

Ivorian mobs turned back by rocket fire from French helicopters.


PARIS, Nov 7 (AFP) -

France was in danger of being sucked into the escalating conflict in its former colony Ivory Coast on Sunday, after President Jacques Chirac's order to destroy the Ivorian air force prompted anti-French riots in the main city Abidjan.
The intervention provoked a stark warning from the speaker of the Ivorian parliament Mamadou Coulibaly, a Gbagbo loyalist, who said France faced a "long, hard war" and that French nationals risked death at the hands of the "patriot" mob.
"Vietnam will be nothing compared with what we are going to do here," he said. "The Ivorian authorities consider themselves now to be rebels against the French power which Jacques Chirac is trying to install. There will be fierce resistance."
Overnight thousands of protesters loyal to Gbagbo marched on the airport in Abidjan, which is under the control of French forces, and were turned back by rocket fire from French helicopters.
There were widespread reports of looting and burning of French property, including four schools and the residence of French gendarmes in Abidjan. Anti-French demonstrations were also reported in the administrative capital Yamoussoukro. There are estimated to be between 10,000 and 11,000 French nationals in Ivory Coast, most of them carrying joint citizenship.
.
The attack killed nine troops -- France's biggest single loss in a foreign military operation since Beirut in 1983 -- and wounded 22 others. An American civilian was also killed.
In an immediate riposte, Chirac ordered the destruction of the two jets on the ground at Yamoussoukro airport as well as at least three attack helicopters, effectively eliminating the Ivorian air force. Chirac said the planes had been violating the country's ceasefire in raids on the rebel-held north.
<snip>

http://www.ttc.org/200411071517.ia7fhlg22104.htm

what have we gotten oursleves ino now ?

[Algorem]

7. wonder if the USB(United States of Bushgang) is stirring up trouble for

France?

[silverpatronus]

8. my roommate is ivorian...

and this is the first i'm hearing of this! she hasn't mentioned a THING! she was on the phone with her mother earlier today, but her french was too rapid for me to keep up with. i hope her family is ok.