Feature UN/Côte d’Ivoire
Four months ago, the former South African president and African Union special envoy to Côte d’Ivoire, Thabo Mbeki, wrote an article attacking the UN’s role in the conflict in Côte d’Ivoire (see NA, June). Now, the UN has officially responded to Mbeki’s article through the secretary general’s chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, a veteran Indian diplomat (pictured, inset). Here, he insists that “by sticking to internationally recognised principles, the UN was able to restore the rule of law in the embattled West African state”.
The United Nations vs Mbeki
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RESIDENT THABO MBEKI HAS presented an inaccurate account of recent events in Côte d’Ivoire, and his defence of former Presi- dent Laurent Gbagbo’s attempt
to thwart the will of the Ivorian people is surprising. When Mr Gbagbo’s mandate expired
in 2005, Ivorians, African leaders, and the international community invested five years in finding a political solution. Trough the Pretoria Agreement, signed in 2005 under President Mbeki’s auspices, and the Oua- gadougou Political Agreement (2007), the Ivorian parties assumed full ownership of the peace process. It was they who dictated the pace, timelines, and solutions to any obstacles. Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010 president[ial] elec-
tion had been postponed several times ow- ing to inadequate progress toward disar- mament and reunification. Last August, however, Mr Gbagbo, acting without any external pressure, signed a decree setting 31 October, 2010, as the date for the first round of the vote. Tis step was endorsed by all relevant actors, who recognised that any further delay could itself have caused violence. Te first round was a milestone. Mr
Gbagbo, who emerged as the leading candidate, expressed his appreciation to the special representative of the UN sec- retary general for his role in certifying the
14 | October 2011 | New African
Thabo Mbeki (l) shakes hands with UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon in 2007
election results. Te sec- ond round was held on 28 November, and the UN Special Representative Choi Young-jin followed the same agreed-upon cer- tification procedure he had used for the first round. His analysis agreed with the Inde- pendent Electoral Commission, which declared Alassane Ouattara the winner.
UN special representative Te special representative also determined that the results pro- claimed by the Constitutional Council, which gave “victory” to Mr Gbagbo were not based on facts, and that the Council had arbitrarily nullified results from the north, thereby disen- franchising a large portion of the population. Te special representative also
indicated that, even if Mr Gbagbo’s complaints had been found valid, Ouattara would still be the win- ner. Ecowas and the African Union
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