November 4, 2004

The cease fire was broken today with government air raids on rebel bases in the north of the country. There were several dozen casualties, and a rebel controlled TV station was damaged. A resumption of the ground war would be difficult, as there are 6,000 UN peacekeepers, and 4,000 French troops, patrolling the border between government controlled southern Ivory Coast, the the rebel controlled north. But the UN has stopped all humanitarian work in the country until it is clear how much fighting there will be.