Fighting continues in Cote d’Ivoire
While the world is focused on the ongoing airstrikes in Libya and the aftermath of Japan’s tsunami, the violent stalemate in Côte d’Ivoire appears to be escalating. Since the announcement of presidential election results in December, clashes between supporters of incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and internationally recognized President-elect Alassane Ouattara continue to affect the country’s civilian population. The recent shelling of a market in the country’s largest city, Abidjan, may even rise to the level of “crimes against humanity.” As GI-NET/SDC works to respond to large-scale violence against civilians, we are highlighting the rise in conflict in Côte d’Ivoire and actively seeking advice on the role that U.S.-based activists could play.
Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International deployed assessment missions to Côte d’Ivoire over the last two months. Both organizations reported widespread human rights abuses by pro-Gbagbo security forces and the pro-Ouattara Force Nouvelles. Even though both sides committed human rights abuses against their opponents, pro-Gbagbo forces are responsible for the majority of the 440 civilian deaths that have occurred in the country since clashes began. Human Rights Watch stated, “Either the widespread nature of attacks or the systematic element is sufficient to trigger the characterization as crimes against humanity when combined with the nature of the crimes.”
The size of the conflict also appears to be increasing. Even though much of the violence against civilians is concentrated in Abidjan, where more than 500,000 people may be displaced from their homes, fighting is spreading across the west of the country where pro-Ouattara fighters seized their fifth town in the last month.
The post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire began is now entering its fourth month. On December 2nd, the Independent Electoral Commission announced the presidential results, confirming that Alassane Ouattara had received 54.1% of all votes cast. A day later, the Constitutional Council declared that the Electoral Commission had exceeded its mandate, cancelled the results of seven northern districts, and declared Laurent Gbagbo the winner with 51.45% of the vote. Within two weeks, what had primarily been a political conflict turned deadly, when 32 pro-Ouattara supporters were killed during street fights with pro-Gbagbo security forces.
The international community, led by the United Nations, United States, European Union, and African Union (AU) have all recognized Ouattara as the rightful president of Côte d’Ivoire, and called on Gbagbo to step down. So far, all of these requests have gone unheeded. Several visits from AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) negotiation delegations have failed to dislodge Gbagbo. ECOWAS is meeting on March 23rd to discuss further developments in Côte d’Ivoire.
