Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Mar 24, 2011 / 13:39 pm
Reports from Ivory Coast indicate that the embattled West African nation is on the brink of civil war, with outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo recruiting thousands of young people to fight on his behalf against domestic and international backers of his rival, president-elect Alassane Ouattara.
The United Nations said on March 24 that the violence had already claimed 462 lives – 52 of them during the past week alone – and forced 500,000 people from their homes.
Church sources in Ivory Coast, who were not identified for security reasons, told Fides news agency that the country's administrative and economic capital Abidjan was engulfed in violence. They said the country was “sliding into civil war,” and that attempts at mediation were running into difficulty.
“The religious leaders of Ivory Coast are trying to mediate,” said one source within the local church, “but it seems difficult to contact the two parties. Communication difficulties also hamper the process of finding a common position among the religious representatives.”