French forces withdrew Friday from the besieged rebel-held city of Bouake, declaring the evacuation over after helicopters and convoys bore hundreds of Americans and others to safety.

Among the evacuees were Phil and Alana Carmichael and their children, Johnny, 5, and Kimberly, 6. Phil Carmichael is a nephew of Dr. Wallace and Anne Alcorn, of Austin.

The Alcorns have been monitoring the tense situation in the Ivory Coast since it began over a week ago. E-mail messages from the Carmichael family keep them abreast of developments until the messages ended late last week. However, another e-mail message received from Phil Carmichael's father in England brought reassurance of the family's safety.

The family arrived in the Ivory Coast in June on behalf of the Evangelical Baptist Missionaries.

According to Dr. Alcorn, his nephew's specific missionary task was the Living Waters project to dig wells.

According to the Associated Press, French forces, deployed by the hundreds, evacuated 1,500 foreign nationals from Bouake using convoys and helicopters.

The French forces, including reinforcements for the 600 normally stationed in the former French colony, negotiated what officers in Bouake said was a 48-hour cease-fire with rebels to clear the way for a rapid withdrawal of their citizens and other foreigners from the city of a half-million.

Many feared the withdrawal would clear the way for the threatened government assault.

It is unknown if the Carmichaels were among those Westerners flown by U.S. military C-13- cargo planes to neighboring Ghana, which is in the midst of its own uprising.

Under protection of U.S. and French forces missionaries and their families fleeing the Ivory Coast were allowed to remain in the country elsewhere or had to go to Ghana.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com