Ivory Coast strife could spread across West Africa, says UN

The flare-up of violence in the Ivory Coast – which has seen 300 British troops sent in to evacuate British nationals – could spread across West Africa and plunge the region back into conflict, a senior UN official has warned.

UN Special Representative for West Africa, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, has claimed that there could be a “potential spillover of the crisis on neighbouring countries with new cross-border movements of combatants, small arms and mercenaries within and from outside the region.”

UN and French peacekeepers are currently monitoring a buffer zone separating the government-controlled south and the rebel-held north.

Since 2002 when the conflict broke out in the Ivory Coast, the economy of much of the sub-region has "gravely deteriorated" as a result of the disruption to trade, transportation, and monetary transactions, the UN has said.

Mr Ould-Abdallah said that those responsible for the recent escalation are doing “incalculable damage not only to the future of their country, but to the whole of West Africa".

“Future generations will judge some of today's leaders extremely harshly for once again holding back the advancement of our societies,” he said.

A detachment, led by the Royal Gurkha Rifles, has been ordered in to carry out a full-scale evacuation of the 400 British citizens in the region.

According to the MoD, the decision was made in light of the "volatile and violent situation in Cote d'Ivoire" which sparked off earlier this month.

The RAF has brought in a number of transport aircraft to assist in the evacuation, and the landing platform dock, HMS Albion, has been directed towards the country.

Other army units have been put on notice in case they are required to assist in the operation. Overall, the emergency operation will involve some 300 army, navy and air force personnel.

(gmcg)