His forces are reputed to have burnt UN vehicles, his government has used the state media to spread "false information," thousands of Ivorians have fled the country while countless others are displaced internally. There have also been reports of civilian massacres in the country. Valerie Amos, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, noted that the violence in Cote d'Ivoire "shows how quickly a political crisis can have great humanitarian consequences." The UN has dispatched 2,000 more troops to Cote d'Ivoire while the EU and Switzerland have frozen Gbagbo's assests. Prof Jonah hopes Gbagbo responds to wishes of the electorate. Raila Odinga, President of Kenya and a previous mediator, believes that an amicable solution of this conflict will be in keeping with "the wave of democracy that is sweeping across Africa." Let us hope the AU's five-man panel succeeds where the others failed.