Ivory Coast - French troops evacuate American students from rebel-controlled town

AFP via Babelfish translation ^ | September 25, 2002

[HAL9000]

Foreign schoolboys of Bouaké evacuated, on the way towards Yamoussoukro

Wednesday September 25, 2002 - 17h36 GMT

COMMUNE OF BOUAKE (Côte.d'ivoire), 25 seven (AFP) - the children of the international school of Bouaké, blocked since nearly one week by engagements between soldiers mutineers and governmental, were evacuated by the French troops Wednesday afternoon in direction of Yamoussoukro, the capital of the Ivory Coast, noted a journalist of the AFP.

"We are in safety now, we are free and happy of living", declared with the AFP a girl of the Colorado, which belonged to the convoy of schoolboys and their professors framed by the French soldiers.

Some of these children, old from two to 18 years, held up large American flags and all seemed in good health.

These some 170 children, in majority American but representing on the whole 13 different nationalities, were trapped since September 19 in the buildings of the Christian international school of Bouaké, city always held by mutineers.

The convoy, formed of a score of vehicles of private individuals, bus and minibus and framed by French soldiers on board trucks of transport of troops, moved towards Yamoussoukro, to a hundred kilometers in the south of Bouaké. The evacuated children were to spend the night in the administrative capital of the Ivory Coast.

"the hardest moment was yesterday (Tuesday) when they drew the ones on the others starting from two hills" dominating the Christian school, declared Jim, an adult guide originating in the State of Georgia.

"Of course that it was hard, it is Africa. Africa is always hard ", estimated as for him a teenager of about fifteen years.

According to staff's of the French Armies (EMA) in Paris, this evacuation was carried out "at the request of the American authorities".

"the responsibility for the French soldiers is exerted until Yamoussoukro"km in the south of Bouaké) where these nationals, added the staff," will be dealt with by the mission baptist of Yamoussoukro ".

Before evacuatebeing evacuated, the international school of Bouaké had been protected in the morning by a French detachment.

The Côte.d'ivoire is since September 19 in prey with military disorders, which made several hundreds of deaths, of which the Minister of Interior Department Emile Boga Doudou and the Gueï General, owner of the military junta to the capacity from December 1999 to October 2000.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Sort of like Conservatives it would seem. Perhaps it's contagious or even endemic.

[P-Marlowe]

Ok, I was out of line. I will temporarily stop bashing the French. If they temporarily stop surrendering

[weikel]

Exactly.

[Black Agnes]

Religion of pieces alert. These soldiers mutineers are Muslims but this isn't being reported here. Can either of you find references in your media perusal to this fact?

[Tijeras_Slim]

In one of the photos I saw the individual was wearing a beret with what appeared to be the cap badge of the 2REP (Second Parachute Regiment) of the Legion. This is their toughest force, and well regarded by other special forces throughout the world.

[Hatteras]

I was, at one time, gainfully employed with a company that had a contract to install 26 satellite communication sites through out the IC. All the "major" cities had antenna sites as well as a number of intermediate towers spaced between. I never made the trip, but the engineering group would send back stories and pictures. The coast was beautiful but getting to the different sites in-country was pretty nerve racking for them.

Sometimes between 200 and 300 miles of nothing but rain-soaked red clay in a couple of Landcruisers. Crossing rivers on a raft kept afloat by 55 gallon drums guided across by a pulley system that involved a heavy rope strung between two barrels cranked by hand. Of course the "toll" for these rides usually amounted to a new radio and box of batteries, candy bars and various hats and shirts. Some of these "towns" were nothing but a group of huts surrounding a cinderblock "constable's" building at the base of a 700 foot tower. Inside the building, our equipment was installed in one room and the other room had a 27-inch Mitsubishi tuned in to CNN. When the engineering team approached the villages, the kids would run out sporting their Michael Jordan t-shirts and of course, they were presented with more decadent pleasures of the western world. Tickled by the sight of these kids in their MJ shirts, I bought a few items for the engineers to deliver on their next trip.

A few weeks later I received a wonderful photo from one of the engineers of three bright-eyed little kids with beaming smiles. (I'm sure somebody had to wonder how on God's green earth did a little 7-year old out in the middle of the jungles of the Ivory Coast get hold of a Dale Earnhardt "Intimidator" t-shirt...) ;-)

[Robert_Paulson2]

Thank you to the french for their support!

NOW can you get behind us on the War Against Terrorists?
WE need all the help we can get.

Even a small detachment of your best boys would be appreciated.

We KNEW you could do it... and you did, thanks again.

[ksen]

HERE are some emails from a missionary in Ivory Coast describing what's going on, as well as an urgent prayer request.

[Robert_Paulson2]

They have a permanent presence in the country. They are not allowed to leave. And on this, they did a good job and the right thing. Thank you for growing a pair FRANCE... and may you be encouraged to do more in the future...

We need all the help we can get... as long as it's real help. Today, FRANCE helped. viva la liberte

[elfman2]

"Sort of like Conservatives it would seem. Perhaps [racism's] contagious or even endemic. "

Of course. A genuine respect for other ethnicities and nationalities is what I love most about my friends on the left. Not a shallow fassion statement, no posturing for popular appeal or bantering about slogans like diversity and rainbows, just a real interest in learning from one other.

[swarthyguy]

Quick look at indian newsoutlets reporting AFP shows NO mention of that.

[Corin Stormhands]

ping

[ican'tbelieveit]

Oh you have me laughing. Of course we are greatful that troops already in the region were able to come to our childrens aid. As we would do in another situation.

[labowski]

I normally don't believe everything i read on the net,
but Neal Bortz mentioned it on his site (that the rebels
were muslim) he only provided two links that showed the
media wasn't reporting that fact, but he didn't link as to
where he got his info. But, since Reuters refuses to use
the word "terrorist" in describing militant Muslims I
find it very easy to believe.

[1Old Pro]

I agree lets have a temporary moratorium on bashing the French.

Is it up yet?

[labowski]

here's a link to the Fox news story that mentions muslims
and the support of immigrant muslims, it's down toward the
bottom of the article.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,64015,00.html

[Sam Cree]

saw one of them toting an old FN-49 semi-automatic rifle - probably a Belgian .30 cal. - which is now considered a collectable "Curio and Relic" firearm here!

Probably the new service is using old footage.

[wardaddy]

I'll second that.

[fight_truth_decay]

"The uprising has sparked ethnic, political and religious hostilities that divide Ivory Coast's predominantly Christian south and its largely Muslim north.

The mutineers, dismissed from the army for suspected loyalty to ousted former junta leader Gen. Robert Guei, have found at least a measure of support from the Muslim northerners -- who complain of being treated as second-class citizens by the southern-based government.

Tens of thousands of Westerners and hundreds of thousands of immigrants from neighboring Muslim countries have made their homes in Ivory Coast, until its first-ever 1999 coup an anchor of stability and prosperity in West Africa.

Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa-producer, and remains an economic powerhouse for the region.

The nation's Muslim, African immigrants are much more vulnerable than the Westerners in the unrest, with much less hope of rescue. Paramilitary police burned a shantytown -- housing numbers of Muslim immigrants and northerners -- over the weekend." (in part)http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-ivory-coast0925sep25,0,4206007.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dworld%2Dheadlines

[Barnacle]

Did the French Troops stay behind so that they could surrender?

Plairiez vous répétez qu'en français?

He asked if you’d please repeat that in French.

Would you like me to interpret for you?