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U.S. Senator: Obama Administration 'Wrong' on Ivory Coast

   Peter Clottey  April 06, 2011
   Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo (file photo)

Photo: Reuters

   Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo (file photo)

   A U.S. Senator says President Barak Obama's administration 'got it
   wrong' in its handling of the ongoing crisis in Ivory Coast following
   violent clashes between rival forces, which has left hundreds dead and
   tens of thousands fleeing the West African conflict.

   In a VOA interview, Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma says
   the Obama administration is backing the wrong side in the conflict and
   offered to provide evidence that it was mathematically impossible for
   Alassane Ouattara to win the disputed November presidential run-off
   vote over embattled President Laurent Gbagbo.

   'I do know that the French have always had pretty much control of the
   government in the Ivory Coast and that's just the way the French
   operate, until President Gbagbo got there and, of course, the French
   have been running against him ever since that time. And, the current
   opponent, Ouattara, is no exception; he is the chosen one by the French
   and, quite frankly, they rigged the election,' said Inhofe.

   Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma

   'I have shown on the Senate floor how they took the margin of victory
   that went to Ouattara'¦what precincts they stole that vote at and how
   they miscalculated it. How is it statistically possible for the primary
   election for Gbagbo to have received thousands and thousands of votes
   in that northern part of Cote d'Ivoire and then, in the run-off, he got
   zero? Statistically, that is impossible,' he added.

   However, Inhofe acknowledges that his concerns about what he calls a
   'stolen election' have been overtaken by current events. Inhofe, who is
   also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says France is
   leading the charge to force Gbagbo to step down and cede power to
   Ouattara.

   'The French have come in and I don't know how many thousands of people
   they have killed because they won't quantify it. They killed over a
   thousand in Deukoue, a town in the western part, and those were the
   people who are Gbagbo supporters. And they said that wasn't us that
   killed the people, but it had to be because Gbagbo had no troops there.
   So it's a reign of terror by Ouattara and it's supported by the
   French...[I] am afraid I'm losing this one, but somebody has to tell
   the truth,' Inhofe said.

   'Absolutely, they [Obama administration] had it wrong. They are wrong
   and I have sent letters to the Secretary of State and to the
   administration giving them evidence of the election. It was totally
   ignored and so I criticized my own administration, as well as the
   French,' he added.

   Inhofe also says the United Nations violated its charter by using
   military force against Gbagbo loyalists.

   'They went in and immediately assumed that it was a legitimate election
   and, yet, we have all the evidence to the contrary. By the way, there
   are a lot of people in Africa who agree with me,' he said.

   Meanwhile, Ouattara forces launched an assault on Gbagbo's home
   Wednesday after he refused to admit electoral defeat and surrender. The
   forces met strong resistance from pro-Gbagbo troops, despite the fact
   that most solders from the regular army have laid down their arms.
   Witnesses say they heard gunfire and explosions from the compound where
   Gbagbo, along with members of his family, is believed to be holed
   up.The fighting died down around midday Wednesday.Witnesses say the
   Ouattara forces retreated.
   Aides to Ouattara say the fighters have been told to capture Gbagbo
   alive.
   A Gbagbo spokesman said U.N. and French forces were involved in the
   assault, an allegation French officials have denied.

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