Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has arrived in Ivory Coast for the African Union (AU) to help mediate a political crisis, diplomats say according to BBC. When he was president of South Africa, Mr Mbeki helped to mediate a peace deal in Ivory Coast. Laurent Gbagbo and opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara have both sworn themselves in after claiming victory in a presidential run-off. Mr Ouattara was initially declared the winner but the result was overturned in the incumbent’s favour. The AU has warned the crisis could have “incalculable consequences”. In a statement, the organisation rejected “any attempt to create a fait accompli to undermine the electoral process and the will of the people”. It called on all parties to “show the necessary restraint and to refrain from taking actions which will exacerbate an already fragile situation”. Several countries and international organisations – including the US, UN, France and the IMF – have backed Mr Ouattara as the true winner of last Sunday’s run-off.
