Abidjan, Ivory Coast
The African Union this week backed France in a violent dispute with Ivory Coast, a former French colony. African leaders blamed President Laurent Gbagbo’s hard-line government for the current mayhem, which began earlier this month when the Ivorian government broke a cease-fire with rebel troops and attacked a French peacekeeping base. France retaliated by destroying the Ivorian air force, and pro-government mobs began attacking French nationals. Since then, 5,000 Westerners and 10,000 Africans have fled the fighting, the largest evacuation in Africa in a decade. The African Union has asked South African President Thabo Mbeki to set up negotiations between the government and the rebels in Abidjan later this month.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
