ABIDJAN: African leaders Monday were offering Laurent Gbagbo an amnesty deal on condition he cedes the presidency peacefully to the internationally recognized winner of Ivory Coast's elections, an official said Monday. The African heads of state traveled to Ivory Coast to give persuasion another chance before resorting to military intervention. The presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde also visited last week without result, and this time they were being joined by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. No developments were immediately announced. Results tallied by the country's electoral commission and certified by the United Nations showed Gbagbo lost the November election by a nearly 9-point margin to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo has clung to power with the backing of the army, and human rights groups accuse his security forces of abducting and killing hundreds of political opponents. The UN says it also has been barred entry from two suspected mass graves. An official from the Kenyan prime minister's office said an offer by US President Barack Obama to seek an “international” role for Gbagbo and other countries' offers of teaching positions would be considered for the renegade Ivorian leader if he agrees to hand over power. The official said that Gbagbo would be guaranteed safety whether he chooses to stay in Ivory Coast or go elsewhere. Further details on the amnesty were not available, but the official said the deal offered by the African leaders was non-negotiable. The three visiting presidents represent the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, a 15-member regional bloc that is threatening military action to seat Ouattara. Kenya's prime minister is representing the African Union. Gbagbo has dismissed the international condemnation as “a foreign plot” led by France, the country's former colonizer.
