The Ivory Coast Wants Bush to Kick Out Chirac

Wretchard’s current analysis of our “Post-post colonial World” not only has his usual trenchant commentary, it’s also rich with links to information you won’t find in many other places.

Here’s an example, which begins with EU Referendum, a blog in the UK, which links to Farg France (sorry, this is a family site. I like the sentiment, though), which in turn drills down to a story in African News Dimension, which unfortunately has archived the story behind its premium wall. However, FF has the whole of the story on its site:

	Saturday, 14 January 2006
	African News Dimension
	By Kalou Louis Tra
	Commotions between the rebels and the French army after French soldiers allegedly raped young girls and stripped them naked for pornography scenes in the north of Ivory Coast. Another tough year has begun for Ivorians as a dispute rose between the rebels and the French troops positioned in the north of Ivory cost, precisely in Niakaramadougou.
	Although they were very happy when the French troop first arrived on their territory as their backup force in the alleged plot against Laurent Gbagbo, the rebels today are very angry.
	The French soldiers are alleged to have robed 58,000 euros from the Ivorians’ reserve bank last year and are said to have entered in another venture that displeased even they rebels themselves.
	The French soldiers are accused of kidnapping young girls between 16 and 22 to for a strip show. Some soldiers are said to be giving US$1.50 to the girls when they are hostile to their disgraceful scenes.
	The residents after receiving several complaints from some of the girls have confronted the French army, forcing the rebels to intervene.
	When the news broke in Katiola, another town 250 miles away from Niakaramadougou, the residents of that town became very furious and have according to one leader of the community, the people want all the rebels occupying their territories out. They allege the rebels are in cohorts with the French soldiers.
	A resident of the town of Katiola said, "Those rebels and their Europeans friends, we will chase them ourselves, we cannot accept this awful behavior any longer." He adds: "When you are riding on a bicycle to your farm, on the road they demand you pay US$5, sometime more".
	"Now that we heard that the rebels and their French have been disgraceful toward us, our children and our people, we are going to chase them ourselves by all means."
	The accusation of the French went even far when a man in tears said her daughter after been raped several times by the French soldiers has been forced to make love to a dog.
	Reports say that the rebels have already asked the French soldiers to leave Niakaramadougou and Katiola in the next 2 days. The rebels’ representative in the North who refused to be identified said, "Everything else is maybe acceptable but a pornography scene with a dog is unbelievable and therefore unacceptable in our African custom."

”Everything else is maybe acceptable”?? Dear Lord in heaven.

So these are the French, the ones who criticize us for Gitmo? For Iraq? Well, here’s their own Le Monde Diplomatique last April:

The actions of the French Operation Unicorn peacekeeping force in the former French west African colony of Ivory Coast have exposed the greed and seaminess of France's dual role as both mediator and participant.

EU Referendum, from which this quote is taken, has more details on the history of Operation Unicorn.

It also asks this question of the British:

The behaviour of the French raises the question as to why Blair is not bringing up the Ivory Coast issue through the European Council (he could have, for instance, raised it through the UK presidency period), especially as he has made poverty in Africa a priority issue. But it also raises the question as to whether we can afford to be associated with the French military; whether – to paraphrase Margaret Thatcher – these are people with whom we can, or should do business.

Indeed!

EU Referendum finishes with a flourish about the media “hacks” watching America’s every move in Iraq:

Above all though, this issue points up the indolence and hypocrisy of our media. While the hacks are quite happy to slag off the American administration and military – from the comfort of their luxury hotels in the Baghdad Green Zone, protected by the lives of those very troops they so detest - none of the professionals who employ them and use their copy have stirred themselves to find out what is going on the Ivory Coast, and report it.

Good heavens, and miss an opportunity to observe an American mis-step in the quagmire? A thousand times “non” to you, sir. After all, what interest is there in a few little black girls in a hot, unruly place where one might get hurt?

Don’t you wonder sometimes, about the karma of the MSM? Don’t you wonder what they’re racking up for the next life? Ponder it, as we slowly dismantle their sorry gold-bricking asses.