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Ivory coast forces Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/09/24/ivory.coast/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/09/24/ivory.coast/index.html
U.S. forces head to Ivory Coast
American students remain trapped amid civil unrest
BOUAKE, Ivory Coast (CNN) --About 200 U.S. Special Forces troops are expected to be deployed Tuesday to the Ivory Coast and await possible orders to protect Americans during a rebel insurgency in the West African nation.
The heavily armed soldiers are expected to land by military air transport, Pentagon officials said -- either outside the commercial capital, Abidjan, or in neighboring Ghana.
Their first task may be to retrieve about 100 American children who have been trapped at a school in the city of Bouake for five days and to protect Americans in three or four Ivory Coast towns held by rebels.
"The (U.S.) European Command is moving forces to the Ivory Coast region to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens in the wake of civil unrest," a military statement said. "The U.S. is committed to ensuring the safety of its citizens and U.S. forces in the Ivory Coast region and remains ready for all contingencies. We are monitoring the situation in the Ivory Coast and will be available to ensure safety."
Sources said that so far no request has been for the U.S. military to coordinate the evacuation of Americans from the country.
U.S. troops will arrive with the coordination of Ivory Coast government forces, who also are backed by a significant number of French troops already in the region. The American troops could provide escort or evacuation of U.S. nationals to safer locations within the Ivory Coast.
U.S. Ambassador Arlene Render requested the troops, the Pentagon said.
About 2,000 Americans are believed to be in the country on Africa's Atlantic coast. Government troops remain in control of Abidjan, and the U.S. Embassy is believed safe for the moment, military officials said.
France sent its troops to protect the almost 19,000 French nationals in the African nation.
"For now, the question is if the French troops can do something for the American children," said French Col. Charles de Kersabiec. "For now, only direct violence against the children means we can act. We are following the situation, and we are sensitive to that."
Bouake, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) north of Abidjan, has been in rebel hands since Thursday when the uprising began.
Violence broke out when insurgents revolted in Abidjan after they were let go by the army because of disloyalty, and it quickly spread. At least 270 people have been killed in the violence and hundreds more wounded.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Monday the United States is concerned about the situation and is working to keep the students safe.
"Despite reports of gunfire close to the school, the school has adequate supplies, and students are reported safe," Boucher said. "Our embassy remains in very close contact with the school."
Boucher also said the United States is working closely with the French government, from which the Ivory Coast gained its independence in 1960 and has had close ties with since.
Boucher reiterated U.S. calls for the rebels to lay down their weapons and negotiate with the government for a peaceful resolution to the standoff.
"We've urged the government to do all it can to avoid further bloodshed and continue to respect the human rights of all citizens and residents of Cote d'Ivoire, and we urge them to continue the process of national reconciliation," he said.
Last week the State Department issued a public announcement telling Americans to defer travel to the country and urged U.S. citizens already in the country to stay at home.
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has vowed to neutralize the rebels. The insurgency forced Gbagbo -- who was visiting Rome, Italy, last week -- to cancel a meeting with Pope John Paul II.
The insurgents said they were loyal to the country's former leader, Gen. Robert Guei, who seized power in a military coup in 1999 but lost in 2001 elections. Guei was killed in the fighting Thursday.
Interior Minister Emile Boga Doudou also was killed in the uprising, and government sources said Sports Minister Genevieve Bro Grebe was kidnapped, as was the wife of Defense Minister Lyda Koussa.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
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