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French reinforcements arriving in Abidjan at the weekend. Gbagbo has called the soldiers an "occupation force" (Photo: defense.gouv.fr)

France set to evacuate EU expats in Ivory Coast

The French army has taken control of Abidjan airport and begun herding expats into protected areas in anticipation of a bloody battle for control of the Ivorian capital.

France's 1,500-strong military force in the Ivory Coast on Sunday (3 April) stationed armoured personnel carriers in the Felix Houphet Boigny international airport and called for expats to go to protected areas in the army camp in Port Bouet, the Wafou hotel in the south of Abidjan and the French embassy in the north. <...

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

French reinforcements arriving in Abidjan at the weekend. Gbagbo has called the soldiers an "occupation force" (Photo: defense.gouv.fr)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

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