Power Struggle Pushes Country Toward Civil War

摘要

Ivory coast An interminable political deadlock teetered toward outright civil war as gun battles raged between troops loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and supporters of his opponent, Alassane Ouattara. According to the U.N., Ouattara was the winner of the November presidential election. But Gbagbo, who has ruled Ivory Coast for almost a decade, refused to recognize the results, an act that plunged the country into crisis. Businesses in the commercial capital, Abidjan, are shuttered, and the global price of cocoa (of which Ivory Coast is the world's biggest exporter) has risen to a 32-year high. Reports are mounting of gangs of young Gbagbo supporters intimidating foreigners, local journalists and U.N. officials, while Gbagbo's troops and antigovernment militias clashed in Abidjan's environs, leaving dozens dead. Diplomats fear the conflict may escalate. Around 100,000 Ivorians have been displaced by the fighting so far.