By Kevin McCauley
Covington & Burlington has sided with Ivory Coast opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who was elected president on Nov. 28 but has been blocked from taking office by forces loyal to ousted strongman Laurent Gbagbo.
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Working on a pro-bono basis, C&B is providing "advice on international legal and policy matters," according to a report in the Washington Post.
The United Nations is sending 2,000 additional troops to the Ivory Coast to cope with an upswing of violence and rape. The European Union has placed sanctions on coffee and cocoa imports to protest Gbagbo’s power grab.
C&B says it’s working toward the twin goals of cutting off international funding to pro-Gbagbo factions and getting Ouattara recognized as the “legitimate" leader of the Ivory Coast.
Last month, Ouattara tapped Jefferson Waterman International to handle Ivorian national interests in categories such as economic/financial, military/security, trade/investment and PR. JWI also is working to “marshal maximum support" from the U.S. executive/legislative branches, media, think tanks and NGOs.
Following the election, Gbagbo reached out to Lanny Davis & Assocs., inking a three-month contract worth $300K.
Davis, who was legal counselor to President Clinton, has terminated that contract.
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