The swearing in of Alassane Ouattara as president of the Ivory Coast presents an interesting situation for the United Nations and African Union troops who haven’t exactly had sterling records in dealing with African problems in the past. Ouattara won an election over strongman Gbagbo who refused to accept the resaults.
In the resaulting conflict, Ouattara’s forces routed Gbagbo’s forces in a conflict that was largely dealt with domestically as the African Union and United Nations failed to act in due haste. Still the UN and the French were needed to take back the capital of Abidjan from Gbagbo loyalists.
The resault here is notable because the African Union and the international community backed Ouattara’s claim to the office, something that is far from certain in deliberations over anything African. If such support contines, also a questionable proposition, then there may be hope yet, for a democratic Africa full of hope, not misery.
An unfortunate reality here is that Ouattara is correct in asserting “Domestic problems should be taken care of by domestic forces.” For the future of the African continent, lets’ hope Africans remember this. The international community has let down Africa more times than I care to count. International forces should not relied upon for quick action.
Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0921/Is-Ivory-Coast-really-a-great-model-for-international-intervention.
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