06.11.2004, 18:36
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Zitat:France attacks Ivorian airbase
French soldier in Ivory Coast (archive)
France is the former colonial power in the region
French forces in Ivory Coast have destroyed two government warplanes after an air strike which left eight French soldiers dead and 23 injured.
The French struck the airbase in the capital, Yamoussoukro, soon after an air raid on the rebel-held town of Bouake hit the French peacekeepers.
France said its forces had struck in a direct response to the bombing.
The African Union has urged the warring sides in Ivory Coast to return to the ceasefire signed last year.
Government air strikes on rebel-held territory in the north this week, and clashes on the ground between the two sides, mark the first major unrest since a peace deal brokered by France in January 2003.
The BBC's Dan Isaacs says that the conflict has entered a new and highly unstable phase with foreign forces, whether by accident or design, drawn directly into the line of battle.
Until now, the bombing by Ivorian forces of rebel positions brought international condemnation but little in the way of a direct military response from UN peacekeepers, who are mandated to respond only if directly attacked.
However, the death of French soldiers provided the necessary provocation and the French military response was swift and decisive, our analyst notes.
'Aggression'
The French defence ministry announced in Paris that two Ivorian Sukhoi-25 bombers had bombed a position of its Unicorn Force in Bouake at 1400 French time (1300 GMT) on Saturday.
IVORY COAST'S PEACE UNRAVELS
29 Sept: Ivorian parliament fails to agree citizenship laws, which were a key requirement of the January 2003 peace deal
13 Oct: Ivorian rebels say they will not disarm, as planned, until immigration laws are changed
28 Oct: Vendors selling newspapers accused of supporting the opposition are attacked by pro-government militants in Abidjan and southern towns
The New Forces order eight rebel ministers to return to the rebel-held north, saying it had discovered the government smuggling arms across its territory
4 Nov: Government launches air strikes on rebel-held territory in north
5 Nov: More government air strikes and clashes on the ground in north, as unrest erupts in Abidjan
Nov 6: French forces destroy two government warplanes after an air strike leaves French soldiers dead
Eight French troops were killed and 23 wounded in the attack, the ministry told French news agency AFP.
"In response to this aggression, the Unicorn Force destroyed the two Sukhoi-25s at around 1415 [1315] at Yamoussoukro," it added.
An Ivorian military spokesman, Col Philipe Mangou, confirmed for AFP that the two Soviet-made ground attack planes were destroyed by the French at Yamoussoukro Airport.
The French military did not give details of how the Sukhois were destroyed.
The former colonial power has Mirage jets deployed in the region, notably in Chad.
The African Union voiced deep concern at the government air raids on Saturday and called for both the government and rebels to refrain from any further violations of the truce they signed last year after a bitter civil war which split the country.
Neither side attended the emergency talks hosted in Nigeria by President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the AU.
Last week, the rebels, known as the New Forces, withdrew their ministers from the unity government, accusing the army of preparing to return to war.
The country has been split in two since last year's peace deal, with 10,000 French and UN troops deployed to monitor the ceasefire.