The stage is set for a final showdown in Ivory Coast after the army chief of staff abandoned strongman Laurent Gbagbo. General Philippe Mangou sought refuge with his family in the South African ambassador’s home on the night of March 30. Mangou had ostensibly led the national army (known as FDS) that has propped up Gbagbo for four months since he lost a November run-off. Two other ranking officers defected as well. The defections come as forces loyal to Gbagbo’s challenger Alassane Ouattara – the internationally recognized winner of the elections – closed in on the main city of Abidjan.
Gbagbo was apparently stunned by the Mangou defection. Speaking to TIME on condition of anonymity, a lieutenant in the national army, known as the FDS, said Gbagbo had called him on Thursday morning, “demanding to know if the rumours were true. The first he’d heard of it was on a news
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