Situation @ ABJ Airport
 

I hear that several thousand people that didn't qualify for the Emergency Evacuation of their Colonial Master are still stranded at ABJ several hundred are supposed to be camping in and around the Airport.
Has anyone anything reliable that can confirm these stories?

Colonial Masters ... :E

Good one ... might have a few posts on that alone :ok:

Saw on TV British ? French C-130's taking expats out this morning ? late yesterday.

From what I've seen in ABJ on Friday, the colonial masters seemed to be real busy taking pretty much everybody outta there. Italians, Spanish, British and of course French troops taking care of it. It looked like all the toubabs camping in the airport terminal where already being taken care of -- nobody was really running around looking for any plane out of Ivory Coast.

The situation looked like it had calmed down quite a bit since the days before, too...

Anyway, as Gbagbo said in one of his latest public address: "the whites will come back anyway; do you imagine them on welfare in Europe? No... They will have to come back...":yuk:

German Lear?
 

I heard, that a German Lear Jet is still based their, obviously for the UN...

Have just been informed by a friend in ABJ that after SN Brussels now AF has seized operations in ABJ.

Does that mean they dont trust their own Army or F/L any more?

Although re-opened for civilian a/c since Wed. 17th it appears that the airport is French occupied territory. Not a bad thing though at least you know where to run to when the s:mad: hits the fan again and you happend to be in ABJ. :{

Well being based at an airport where the french airforce takeoff sometimes twice a day to bomb the Ivory Coast. I would not want to have to go to Abj, ever!

I think AF is going back to ABJ. HappyFlyer, French AF going bombing twice a day. Wow, more info please, is that real or did you dream it, let us know, I need details

SN Brussels will be back soon as well, in a couple of days. All flights fully booked. Bagbo pleaded the French "entrepreneurs" to come back quickly, and the international schools will be reopened quickly so the minister's kids can go back to classes :E

The International Schools will be open soon!

It will be interesting to see how that can happen. The big French lycee and the ecole primaire in Riviera (which my kids attended - even though I'm a Brit) were both burned down as was the Mermoz school in Cocody. I remember it took a couple of years to build the ecole primaire in the first place, so it isn't going to be opening up anytime soon.

That being said, I read on the BBC this morning that Air France is flying back into Abidjan again.

Hey HappyFlyer, what about your bombing reports dude?! :rolleyes:

Please, don't push him. West Africa was not obviously for him.

Thanks for the info Kopeloi. :cool:

Rumour has it that the chaos has yet to erupt again in Ivory coast. After all the local Ivorians listened to their government and helped kick out all the french.The local Ivorians are now unhappy as all the rewards by the government which were promised has seemingly not been given to the people. Now talk of them siding with the rebels. The rebels I hear want to march south now, and for a change the French troops are gonna sit back and watch and clean up the country after the rebels have got rid of Gbagbo,how true this is????

Happy Flyer

Where do you get your info? No French bombs dropping here! Maybe a few well placed demo charges and remotely activated mortar rounds on the Sukois, a couple of well placed "ball-pean" hammers on the Mi-24's and Voila! No more CI Airforce!

I am at this moment staring out at a very calm and quiet Abidjan. By the way, it was the Legion that did the deed. About 40 were all that was needed to take the airport. They have since pulled out and the CI army is back in control of the airport.

Cheers, OffshoreIgor

was ABJ last week, seemed calm as mentioned. troops digging on east side of RWY, what for? AF, ET, KQ etc all busy. BUT any more rumour of things to come? Airforce 1?

Seems that Mbeki got a deal out of Gbagbo and the rebels. Gbagbo tried to lay a Bob the MUGger trick but it backfired on him. He needs to go. Way too corrupt for real peace to settle.

Thanks Offshoreigor, that's what I thought. Needed real facts here and not b.s.:cool:

If the Prez (Mr. M from SA) managed to get this one sort of under control, I would say well done to the Prez :ok: and the Prezjet and the Prezjet crews who seemed to have worked some extra FDP :ok: over the past couple of weeks. You can bull**** some of the people some of the time but not all the people every time. Hope you're right and hope this blows south with the ITCZ.

There's also Sudan, Burundi, the DRC etc.:confused: Let's not always look at the negatives but also the positives.

You were asking for mor rumours on the developments in ABJ, Airforce 1

Here you go. Our last staff left ABJ yesterday as we have serious rumours from prople that usually know (they were right six weeks ago - so why shouyld we doubt them now?).

After Pres. Mbekis failure (anticipated) to persuade the great Ivorien Leader Pres. Gbagbo the Rebels have announced that they will move into ABJ by Dec. 15th.
The two major opposition leaders Bedie and Ouattara have agreed to form a coalition government after Pres. G's dismissal with Mr. B becoming Presitent and Mr. O. Prime Minister again.
As we also hear, the Gendarmerie is so unhappy that they are most likely going to join the Rebel Forces once they move.

Looks like High Noon is around the corner. - Merry Cristmas Abidjan

Thanks Oneeyed ;)
, As a kid i always dreamed of being in a "Western", now the shootout at the OK CORRAL in the Wild West is really a shoot out at the B4 Apron in the "WILD WEST AFRICA"
hmmmm

Well here we are, the 18th of December and no occupation!

Seems pretty quiet, especially since the Government ordered a ban on protests until May 10, 2005. By the way, the Gov passed 2 of the 3 immigration and naturalization laws yesterday and are working on the 3rd. Seems like this is getting fast tracked.

Ops normal at ABJ airport. Quiet in YAM, they are even cleaning the place up, ie lots of labourers cutting the grass and taking out the trash!

I was in Daloa a few days ago and things are pretty quiet in town, found a great little restraunt called Hyper Marquis. Aircon and half decent food.

Cheers, OffshoreIgor