ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The political standoff in the Ivory Coast could set a dangerous precedent for the emerging governments in Africa, the Kenyan prime minister said.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga announced he would head to the Ivory Coast this week to help find a peaceful resolution to a political impasse destabilizing the country since November.
Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo has refused to step down despite the international community backing his rival Alassane Ouattara in a late 2010 election meant to unite a country divided by civil war in 2002.
Odinga in a statement to Bloomberg News said the ongoing stalemate and threats of international military intervention could set a dangerous precedent for the rest of Africa.
"The messy situation and loss of faith in the transfer of power through the ballot could lead to the return of military coups in Africa," he said in an e-mailed message.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to broker a settlement during the weekend after meeting separately with Gbagbo and Ouattara.
He wouldn't rule out military intervention to persuade Gbagbo to give up power but added he believed a peaceful settlement could be reached.
Last week, even though Gbagbo promised to lift the blockade, the road to Ouattara's Golf Hotel stronghold in Abidjan was still blocked by soldiers who remain loyal to the incumbent president.
