Obama and Cameron Urged to Seek UN Resolution against Gbagbo

March 31, 2011 - PRLog -- Members of the African Diaspora, who have recently started a campaign calling for a UN resolution against Ivoirian president Laurent Gbagbo, have written this week to US president Barack Obama and UK prime minister David Cameron to urge them to support their campaign. The campaign, called ‘Go Gbagbo Go’, is led by UK-based organisation African Peoples Advocacy, and is set to continue for as long as Gbagbo remains in power.

International bodies, including the UN, the African Union and the European Union, have declared that Côte d’Ivoire president Gbagbo lost the November 2010 election to opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara. However, instead of stepping down, he has clung on to power by resorting to brutal methods, including the shooting of 7 peaceful women protesters on 3rd March 2011, and the shelling of a market that resulted in the killing of 30 people a fortnight later.

Gbagbo’s stance has plunged Côte d’Ivoire into a crisis that has led to the loss of more than 400 lives, and provoked tens of thousands of refugees. The director of African Peoples Advocacy, Ms. Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell, said: “We understand that the international community cannot act against all bad African rulers. However, decisive action is required in the case of Mr. Gbagbo in order to compel him to respect the democratic will of the Ivoirian people and save the lives of innocent civilians.”

Some Africans are opposed to a UN resolution that could lead to the invasion of a sovereign African country by foreign forces. “African independence and sovereignty are very dear to us at African Peoples Advocacy. However, we cannot allow these notions to be a cover for murderous megalomania, gross human rights violations, and usurpation of power”, Aboa-Bradwell said.
   
Note to Editors:

African Peoples Advocacy (APA) was founded as a platform for the engagement and education of African communities on issues including democracy and human rights. The APA director, Sylvie Aboa-Bradwell, is available for interview on (+44) (0) 7717 051 742.

African Peoples Advocacy’s E-mail: info@apadvocacy.org Tel: (+44) (0) 1634 5736 19. Web: www.apadvocacy.org   Charity Registration Number: 1131139

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African Peoples Advocacy (APA) is a platform for the engagement and education of African communities on a wide range of issues including democracy and human rights. For more information, visit htpp://www.apadvocacy.org