When there was an electoral stand-off in Zimbabwe, power-sharing was the solution and Robert Mugabe remained President. In Kenya, power-sharing was also the preferred route to peace and Mwai Kibaki remained President. (In both cases the opposition leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai and Raila Odinga, became Prime Minister.)
The calculation was made that shared power gave [peace the best chance, and that peace was more important than trying to establish who had won and then implementing the result. Bearing in mind Africa's terrible history of civil wars, the pressure to avoid them is inevitable.
Now, Ivory Coast is choosing an alternative to shared power, but the principle of peace above all else remains.
Africa is really diverse, great leaders like Mandela and tyrants like Gbagbo and company all in the same huge island! Charles from Kenya.
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18:46
108511252
Giving Gbagbo such a deal will be a bad precedent for Africa. Africa isn’t an island in the democratic dispensation. SK Duworko Liberia (Call me.)
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18:46
108479964
I pity the condition of my neighbours. It reminds me of yesterday. I pray that sanity will be restore to Ivory coast soon. Chrispin Williams Liberia
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18:46
113631290
Chad emails - If the vote is flawed, re-run the vote!
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18:46
116050830
Please Bagbo do not step down cause all the millitary intervension they are talking about would have first be used in either kenya or Rwanda so please let the rulling man Mr. Bagbo rule according to their own constitution not by U N constitution in the the name of peace From Ishmail Hamidu in Bo Sierra Leone
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18:45
116050826
We do care and love the Ivory Coast.I dont advocate for military intervention.Nick Maina from Kenya living in Richmond, Virginia
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18:45
116050824
Anthony, a Gbagbo supporter in the studio, an alternative view is not in your studio. Given the HR violations against opposition supporters, i won’t be surprised if they are afraid to come into your studio! That says a lot about the horrors of the Gbagbo regime. Sulaiman, Dakar, Senegal
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18:44
113994022
For ivorians to have the honey of peace they should experience the stings of the military intervention to oust BAGBO... Mohamed Ahmd Ali Idrees -SUDAN
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18:43
116013771
It is time that Africa have decided to take the real road of peace. Baibo the lifes & safety of your people is left with the decesion you will make. David Wiah, Monrovia-Liberia.
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18:42
113631290
Ola emailed - Am against the deal with Laurent Gbagbo because if it scales through then we will be setting an unsustainable precedent for other bad leaders. We will belaying to there gallery.
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18:42
115360981
Gbagbo must understand that no matter how long or huge a tree might be; once in isolation, cannot make a forest. No matter how strong he and his army might be, he cannot fight the world and succeed. Time is running out. He will end up like Charles Taylor. But the use of legitimate force will lead Ivory Coast to the worst civil war that will include genocide. Augustine K. Barkemeni, Monrovia
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18:41
113631290
Joel from Maputo - We should not forget the lives lost because of Gbagbo obstination he must be resposiblised for those crimes enstead of proctection.
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18:40
116050801
UN didn’t do well in Ivory Cost. All warring parties should have been disarmed and encamped.UN should have empowered all political institutions.
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18:40
116050800
I believe that military action is not the best action. Let Gbagbo take the offer of amnesty and step down.
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18:37
114976156
The Delegetion of African Union to solve the political crisis in I Coast can only be solve by ECOWAS and UN Forces to take power from Bakbo by force andgive it to Watara to avoid corruption because Bakbo is refusing to step down but I hope ECOWAS will make it serious matter Mohamed Bawa F Town
Must Ivory Coast prioritise peace above all else?
| Monday, 1 Jan. 2011 | 18:06 - 19:00 GMT
When there was an electoral stand-off in Zimbabwe, power-sharing was the solution and Robert Mugabe remained President. In Kenya, power-sharing was also the preferred route to peace and Mwai Kibaki remained President. (In both cases the opposition leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai and Raila Odinga, became Prime Minister.)
The calculation was made that shared power gave [peace the best chance, and that peace was more important than trying to establish who had won and then implementing the result. Bearing in mind Africa's terrible history of civil wars, the pressure to avoid them is inevitable.
Now, Ivory Coast is choosing an alternative to shared power, but the principle of peace above all else remains.
Your comments
Comment sent via SMS
Africa is really diverse, great leaders like Mandela and tyrants like Gbagbo and company all in the same huge island! Charles from Kenya.
Comment sent via SMS
Giving Gbagbo such a deal will be a bad precedent for Africa. Africa isn’t an island in the democratic dispensation. SK Duworko Liberia (Call me.)
Comment sent via SMS
I pity the condition of my neighbours. It reminds me of yesterday. I pray that sanity will be restore to Ivory coast soon. Chrispin Williams Liberia
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Chad emails - If the vote is flawed, re-run the vote!
Comment sent via SMS
Please Bagbo do not step down cause all the millitary intervension they are talking about would have first be used in either kenya or Rwanda so please let the rulling man Mr. Bagbo rule according to their own constitution not by U N constitution in the the name of peace From Ishmail Hamidu in Bo Sierra Leone
Comment sent via SMS
We do care and love the Ivory Coast.I dont advocate for military intervention.Nick Maina from Kenya living in Richmond, Virginia
Comment sent via SMS
Anthony, a Gbagbo supporter in the studio, an alternative view is not in your studio. Given the HR violations against opposition supporters, i won’t be surprised if they are afraid to come into your studio! That says a lot about the horrors of the Gbagbo regime. Sulaiman, Dakar, Senegal
Comment sent via SMS
For ivorians to have the honey of peace they should experience the stings of the military intervention to oust BAGBO... Mohamed Ahmd Ali Idrees -SUDAN
Comment sent via SMS
It is time that Africa have decided to take the real road of peace. Baibo the lifes & safety of your people is left with the decesion you will make. David Wiah, Monrovia-Liberia.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Ola emailed - Am against the deal with Laurent Gbagbo because if it scales through then we will be setting an unsustainable precedent for other bad leaders. We will belaying to there gallery.
Comment sent via SMS
Gbagbo must understand that no matter how long or huge a tree might be; once in isolation, cannot make a forest. No matter how strong he and his army might be, he cannot fight the world and succeed. Time is running out. He will end up like Charles Taylor. But the use of legitimate force will lead Ivory Coast to the worst civil war that will include genocide. Augustine K. Barkemeni, Monrovia
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Joel from Maputo - We should not forget the lives lost because of Gbagbo obstination he must be resposiblised for those crimes enstead of proctection.
Comment sent via SMS
UN didn’t do well in Ivory Cost. All warring parties should have been disarmed and encamped.UN should have empowered all political institutions.
Comment sent via SMS
I believe that military action is not the best action. Let Gbagbo take the offer of amnesty and step down.
Comment sent via SMS
The Delegetion of African Union to solve the political crisis in I Coast can only be solve by ECOWAS and UN Forces to take power from Bakbo by force andgive it to Watara to avoid corruption because Bakbo is refusing to step down but I hope ECOWAS will make it serious matter Mohamed Bawa F Town