LAST Monday, a combined tripartite operation involving French forces, UN peacekeepers and forces loyal to president-elect, Allassane Quattara, seized the presidential palace of the former President of Cote DIvoire, Laurent Gbagbo and arrested him acting under the toga of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1975 which had given the international community the go-ahead to destroy heavy weapons that would endanger the lives of the civilian population in the post-electoral conflict which had engulfed the country since the presidential run-off in November 28 last year.The activation of the resolution was prompted by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who ordered the UN mission and with the backing of the French forces to take make good the UNSC resolution following intense fighting in the countrys capital of Abidjan.It would be recalled that subsequent to the controversy over the results of the presidential election in which two important state institutions, namely the constitutional court and the electoral commission controverted each other with the announcement of Gbagbo and Quattara as winners respectively, the country resumed its civil war over which a truce was brokered by the UN and indeed the election was intended to cement.However, in the ensuing stalemate, Mr. Quattara whom the electoral commission had declared winner had the overwhelming support of the international election observers, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the continental body, African Union (AU) and indeed the international community. These bodies appealed to Gbagbo to stand down and recognize the acclaimed winner of the election.Diplomacy, however, failed and the country reverted to the pre-2004 civil war mode. With resumption of hostility by forces loyal to Quattara and government forces, an immense refugee problem, seen as a threat to the West African sub-region was engendered. At the last count over 100, 000 people fled the country and about 1000 died. These figures may have been under-estimated.Nevertheless, we hold the view that If Gbagbo had allowed wise counsel to prevail he would have spared his country this level of misery and no less himself the ultimate embarrassment he had to face as a result of his forceful removal from power. The embarrassment is by no means over for him as the atrocities committed by government forces under his watch and of course those of his rival, Allassane Quattara, are to be investigated to establish if there were crimes against humanity. The likelihood is that he would face the International Criminal Court and end up like Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and former President Charles Taylor of Liberia.Although, there are echoes of victory songs for Cote DIvoire, we are a bit cautious. This period is more perilous for the country; with un-decommissioned armed bands roaming the country, ethnic and religious divisions running deep, there should be no room for grand standing by Quattara and his partisans. Quattara should consider the formation of a government of national unity, take cognisance of the various identities in the country and make a lot of concessions as humanly possible. He should seize this moment to play the hero through magnanimity.The enduring lesson of Gbagbos fall is that dictatorship with its element of sit-tightism is abhorrent to present-day national and international sensibilities. It is no longer a viable option for leaders and it is imperative to respect constitutional term limits as provided for by the basic laws of countries. Crisis of succession, as the African experience has shown, is counter-productive to peace and goals of development. The UNSC deserves a pat on the back for providing the basis for the transformation of the Cote DIvoire crisis but its auspices should by no means be exploited by foreign powers prospecting for a share of the Ivoirian cake.
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