Ivory Coast, what’s going on? As of yesterday, their borders have been closed. According to CNN, Col. Major Babri Gohourou said that the air, sea, and land borders had been shut down until further notice and it was to quell the tensions of the area because the election results were unclear.
The radio and television broadcasting stations have also been ordered to be suspended.
The Ivory Coast, or the Côte d'Ivoire announced former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara as the winner against incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo on Thursday. This was after the deadline on Wednesday, which is perhaps part of the issue. Today, it was announced that the poll was overturned and Gbagbo was indeed the winner.
According to Reuters, “The U.N. Security Council warned Ivory Coast that it was prepared to take "appropriate measures," a diplomatic codeword for sanctions, against anyone thwarting the electoral process.
The vote, delayed for five years, was meant to reunite the top cocoa grower, split in two by a 2002-2003 civil war, but has instead exposed north-south divisions and sparked violence. Fears of unrest pushed cocoa prices up over four percent in Thursday trade. Many Ivorian exporters have suspended business.”
As I’ve mentioned before, cocoa is on its way to being very rare and very pricey. This certainly isn’t helping.
While the media is shut down over there, we are hoping that phone lines are not. If you need to call family or friends to check on them, please note our low rate of 17.9 cents per minute. Stay safe, Ivory Coast.
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