AFP) – 6 hours ago

LAGOS — Nigeria's foreign minister on Monday called on the UN Security Council to authorise force in Ivory Coast as West African nations seek to further pressure strongman Laurent Gbagbo to quit power.

Odein Ajumogobia, in an editorial in Nigerian newspapers, said the deadly crisis "single handedly precipitated by Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, will inevitably lead to anarchy and chaos, or worse, a full-blown civil war" if not resolved.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is the current chairman of West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to use force if Gbagbo does not step down in favour of his internationally recognised rival Alassane Ouattara.

", The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) requires unequivocal international support through an appropriate United Nations Security Council resolution to sanction the use of force," Ajumogobia wrote.

"This is the only way to legitimise the use of external force to effectively contain the increasingly volatile internal situation and ensure an enduring peace in Cote d?Ivoire and the West African sub-region."

The resolution should endorse the use of force "as a last option," he said.

"Gbagbo must be made to understand that there is a very real prospect of overwhelming military capability bearing down on him and his cohorts," the foreign minister wrote.

"It is only then that he will give serious consideration to the demands that he step down immediately."

Ajumogobia said the use of "legitimate force" did not have to mean an invasion and could include a naval blockade to enforce sanctions.

The UN has some 9,500 peacekeeping troops in Ivory Coast, and the Security Council last week ordered 2,000 additional soldiers for the mission known as UNOCI.

But Ajumogobia said "the peacekeeping mandate of the UNOCI has now however become inadequate to guarantee peace and security in the country."

"It is time to look at the prospect of applying legitimate force , ," he wrote.

Asked whether he was suggesting the UN change the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast to allow it to participate in the removal of Gbagbo, Ajumogobia said an ECOWAS military deployment should have the United Nations' stamp of approval.

"My argument simply put is that the use of force by ECOWAS in Cote d'Ivoire must be under the aegis of the United Nations, and that without an appropriate UN Security Council resolution to sanction such use of force, ECOWAS use of force in Cote d'Ivoire would not be legitimate," he told AFP.

Gbagbo has defied global calls for him to quit power in favour of Ouattara, the internationally recognised winner of November elections.

ECOWAS faces difficulties in mustering troops for a military operation. Nigeria, which would likely be the main contributor to a regional force, holds elections in April amid unrest in several parts of the country.

Ghana, which neighbours Ivory Coast and is also an ECOWAS member, opposes the use of force.


[img]http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5jhvwxNUgG5Kj7z6qCiOnR09uc0kA?docId=photo_1295864206366-1-0&size=l[/img]
Nigerian Foreign Minister Odein Ajumogobia said the situation in Ivory Coast could turn into "full-blown civil war"

Because of this nasty barbaric attitude of the nigerian army, if a civil war does occur in 2015 in nigeria, I hope those that are going to be opposing the nigerian army invite rebels from Ivory Coast to help cut them down.

abegi forget Ivory Coast jor, Na when war or wahala dey, nai Africa dey remember Naija. yeye! But this guy Odein Ajumogobia na correct Foreign Minister sha. smart and handsome.

the yeye there is for "AFRICA" not you frosbel.

HOW THE WEST IS USING AFRICAN ARMIES TO FURTHER ITS OWN INTERESTS:

Or, How the white man is still able to get Africans to kill each other so they can share the proceeds, as happened in the days of the slave trade.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Ivory-Coast-Testing-Groun-by-Rick-Rozoff-110123-25.html

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is the current chairman of West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to use force if Gbagbo does not step down in favour of his internationally recognised rival Alassane Ouattara.

This whole nonsense about the ''internationally recognised'' winner of the IC elections is just one more slap in the face of Africans.

Tell me, after Bush rigged his way into the white house, did we hear anything about the ''internationally recognised winner, Al Gore'', or were we even given a chance to discuss any of it?

Did Al Gore hole himself up in a hotel, declare himself president, and invite the UN to protect him?

Nope.

You see when a people have a sense of dignity and pride in their nation and themselves, there are certain things they just don't do.

Outarra, the IMF goat who claims to have won the election, is just the sort of leader we do not need in Africa.

How can a man that is himself still a slave, be able to free the people??

Jen33:

This whole nonsense about the ''internationally recognised'' winner of the IC elections is just one more slap in the face of Africans.

Tell me, after Bush rigged his way into the white house, did we hear anything about the ''internationally recognised winner, Al Gore'', or were we even given a chance to discuss any of this?

Did Al Gore hole himself up in a hotel, declare himself president, and invite the UN to protect him?

Nope.

You see when a people have a sense of dignity, there are certain things they just don't do.

Outarra, the IMF goat who claims to have won the election, is just the sort of leader we do not need in Africa.

How can a man that is himself still a slave, be able to free the people??

They keep say "international community" and "internationally recognized" but who exactly is in this "international community"?

Ola edo:

They keep say "international community" and "internationally recognized" but who exactly is in this "international community"?

The West and the organizations under their supervision. UN, IMF, World Bank etc. This is the way the world works. However, change is coming as China rises.

EzeUche said:

The West and the organization under their supervision. UN, IMF, World Bank etc. This is the way the world works. However, change is coming as China rises.

Please let them rise quickly biko. This insult is becoming too much to bear. These whites were illiterates in caves when Africans were developing metallurgy, medicine, writing,  mining, architecture, and chemistry. Today they must ''approve'' of our governments before we can live in peace. Ridiculous. 

Jen33:

EzeUche said:


Please let them rise quickly biko. This insult is becoming too much to bear. These whites were illiterates in caves when Africans were developing metallurgy, medicine, writing, mining, architecture, and chemistry. Today THEY must ''approve'' of our governments before we can live in peace. Ridiculous. 

Must we trade one insult for another? Who said the Chinese will be any different? Even though the Chinese in the past, have always worried about their own country instead of interfering with others, how do we know they will not be different?

Africa must wake up though, before it is too late.

EzeUche said:

Must we trade one insult for another? Who said the Chinese will be any different? Even though the Chinese in the past, have always worried about their own country instead of interfering with others, how do we know they will not be different?

Well for starters the Chinese don't actually make any pretenses to ''democracy'' so there's no way they'll be looking to impose such ideas on Africans. Their overriding presence will serve to checkmate the current western dominance of global economic direction.

Africa must wake up though, before it is too late.

I think we need to create stronger ties within the continent. I support those who call for political unification of All Africa. Or a split into no more than 3 or 4 countries in total. This will make us far more powerful and resistant to foreign dictates and manipulation.