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Gang rape and genocide as Côte d’Ivoire descends into chaos

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Summary of story from thefirstpost, 10.3.11 with additional information from talkafrique

A top United Nations official has warned that human rights violations, including rapes,  abductions and killings, are escalating in Côte d’Ivoire amidst the ongoing post-electoral crisis.

The United Nations, the United States and the European Union have all formally recognised Alassane Ouattara as  the rightful winner of the election, but the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, has refused to give up power.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, cited the killing of seven women by security forces supporting Mr. Gbagbo at a peaceful demonstration in Abobo on 3 March (see WVoN story).

She said that video footage (see WVoN story) of the slayings was shocking and could be used to prosecute the individuals responsible.

She added that  “overall, the situation appears to be deteriorating alarmingly, with a sharp increase in inter-communal and inter-ethnic confrontations… Human right abuses, including rapes, abductions and killings, are being committed by people supporting both sides.”

Another four people were killed in clashes last Wednesday between the Forces de Défense et de Sécurité (FDS), loyal to Mr Gbagbo, and the “Invisible Commando.”

This is a previously unknown group which appears to be opposing pro-Gbagbo forces, after a peaceful demonstration to mourn and pay tribute to the seven women killed the previous week.

The High Commissioner condemned the reported use of civilians as human shields by the Invisible Commando, which is said to be actively preventing civilians from leaving Abobo and other tense areas of the commercial capital, Abidjan.

“I strongly urge all sides to respect the rights of civilians,” said Ms Pillay.

“Particularly worrying is the constant incitement to violence by influential leaders, most notably Blé Goude, who appear to be deliberately stimulating attacks against political opponents, other ethnic groups, nationals from other West African countries, as well as against the UN staff and operations working in Côte d’Ivoire.”

Warning of a risk of a resurgence of the civil war that in 2002 split the country into a Government-held south and a rebel-controlled north, she urged all parties to show utmost restraint to prevent it, and to resolve their differences peacefully.

Despite horrifying reports of gang rape and genocide, the situation in the Ivory Coast has largely been ignored by the international community, partly because of the focus on Libya to the north.

Cote d’Ivoire – or the Ivory Coast – has been riven with ethnic and social tensions for more than a decade.

The cocoa boom led to it becoming much richer than its neighbours, which attracted thousands of migrant workers from other African countries, many of whom were Muslim.

This caused a deep divide between the Islamic immigrant-heavy north and the Christian ‘Ivorian’ south.

Alassane Outtara, a Muslim, was banned from a 2000 election for having a father from Burkina Faso.

It was at this point that Laurent Gbagbo, a Roman Catholic history professor, came to power in a popular uprising.

In 2002, the northern rebel group New Forces attempted a coup against Mr Gbagbo, and the Ivory Coast was plunged into a civil war which killed around 3,000 people.

The north and south of the country have since remained divided.

Laurent Gbagbo was supposed to call an election in 2005, but managed to postpone it for five years.

The election was finally held on November 28, 2010 and Mr Outtara was internationally recognised as the winner, despite a rigged election in favour of Mr Gbagbo.

With Mr Gbagbo still refusing to go, violence has broken out across the country, and the economy has ground to a standstill.

Petrol and food are running out, many banks have closed, and some 500,000 people have lost their jobs.

The United Nations has put the death toll at around 400, but this is likely to be an under-estimate as UN officials have been forcefully prevented from going about their work.

There have been claims of gang rape and hidden mass graves, which the UN has so far been prevented from investigating.

Up to 70,000 people have fled the country to Liberia, causing a refugee crisis on a similar scale to that on Libya’s borders.

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