DAKAR, 7 January 2011 (IRIN) - IRIN has produced a series of briefings
exploring the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire triggered by contested elections
in November 2010. Both Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara are laying
claim to the presidency, with Gbagbo refusing to yield to
international pressure to step down. The series takes a look at the
UN's position, issues of human rights, as well as the stances of
regional bodies, western governments, and the EU and World Bank.
Human rights - a worsening picture
After a relatively peaceful first round of voting at the end of
October, the incidents of violence and abuse reported in different
parts of Côte d'Ivoire since, point to a serious deterioration in the
overall human rights situation and one that carries echoes of the
worst atrocities committed over the past decade. Human rights
organizations in Africa, Europe and the USA have repeatedly raised the
alarm. Rival political leaders and their respective followers in Côte
d'Ivoire have traded accusations about gratuitous excesses by the
other side.
16 December, the day when Ouattara's supporters attempted to march on
the Abidjan headquarters of the state broadcaster, Radio Télévison
Ivoirienne (RTI), has been widely presented as marking a point of no
return. Testimonies from different districts of the economic capital
highlighted the role of security forces and Liberian mercenaries in
keeping demonstrators off the streets with indiscriminate violence.
Human rights experts and civil society representatives acknowledge
serious difficulties in getting a comprehensive overview of the abuses
taking place, particularly with often contradictory reports, often
taken up by a highly partisan printed press, clouding the issue.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior civil society activist
told IRIN: "I have been in hiding for more than two weeks after being
threatened. Sometimes it seems as if things are quiet. It can seem
like that during the daytime, but you never know what will happen at
night".
How many people have died since the crisis began?
Simon Munzu, head of the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire's (ONUCI)
human rights division, told reporters on 6 January that at least 210
people had been killed since the second round of voting on 28
November. Different figures have been advanced in recent weeks, with
Gbagbo's supporters adamant that most figures presented have been
seriously inflated. ONUCI now has its own hotline, asking callers to
ring in with details of security problems and human rights abuses.
ONUCI says the number of deaths, injuries and disappearances has
fluctuated in line with the level of political tension inside the
country. The overall trends remain alarming.
What kind of abuses have been reported?
A considerable number of human rights organizations, both local and
international, have raised the alarm on Côte d'Ivoire, including Human
Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The UN Human Rights Council
held a special meeting on Côte d'Ivoire in Geneva on 23 December,
including a contribution from US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has spoken out
strongly. The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court (ICC) has signaled the ICC's interest and concern about
developments in Côte d'Ivoire.
Most of the reports issued highlight the same kind of practices, and
issue near-identical appeals. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Pillay have
raised long-established concerns about nocturnal raids by security
forces and others in districts of Abidjan said to be heavily populated
by Ouattara supporters. At least four people were killed in a raid on
the Yopougon headquarters of the pro-Ouattara Rassemblement des
Républicains (RDR) by unknown persons on the night of 1 December.
Human rights organizations have pointed to a series of abductions in
similar circumstances, with victims subsequently reported missing or
found dead. More recently, at least one person was killed after
security forces attacked the Abidjan office of the Parti Démocratique
de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), a party allied to Ouattara.
Pillay has warned of a pattern of extra-judicial killings. There have
been more general complaints about a climate of violence and
intimidation, of sections of the media playing a provocative,
dangerous role, and of unnecessary restrictions on people's movement,
exacerbating tensions.
ONUCI has been at loggerheads with security forces over access to a
reported mass grave at N'Dotré, just outside Abidjan, with UN Special
Representative Young Jin Chin Choi among those denied access to the
alleged site.
Gbagbo's supporters says the hunman rights reporting has been biased,
arguing that the focus has been too much on Abidjan, with not nearly
enough monitoring of excesses in territory of the former rebel Forces
Nouvelles. HRW has acknowledged difficulties in monitoring abuses
carried out in such areas, but has emphasised that "the long history
of grave human rights abuses by Forces Nouvelles (FN) soldiers against
the civilian population demands immediate attention", noting also
"worrying reports" from refugees heading into Liberia of FN soldiers
targeting alleged Gbagbo supporters.
Munzu's press briefing on 6 January highlighted fast emerging
problems in the volatile west, the worst being at Duékoué. The UN has
confirmed 14 deaths after bloody clashes between militia fighters from
the Guéré ethnic group, backed by Liberian mercenaries, and sections
of the local Malinké community, backed by 'Dozo' traditional warriors.
Duékoué has been a major flash-point in the past, with serious
confrontations between the Guéré, firmly loyal to Gbagbo, and the
Malinké, normally seen as the main part of Ouattara's constituency,
with long-standing land issues and other problems exacerbating
tensions.
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