Cote d’Ivoire is going through an ugly time, and today was an especially ugly day. The UN thinks the incumbent president is hiding evidence of a massacre; the incumbent president’s followers are threatening to overrun a hotel where their political opposition is based; and the UN’s special advisers on genocide prevention and the responsibility to protect are publicly raising concerns about human rights violations and incitement to hatred and violence, which is diplomatic code for, “So we’re worried about genocide out here.”
Last month, President Laurent Gbagbo lost re-election — the UN, US and the country’s own electoral commission have said Gbagbo lost — but he refuses to concede. The UN says nearly 200 people have been killed, and others tortured, since the Nov. 28 elections.
This week, the presidents of Sierra Leone, Cape Verde and Benin, on behalf of ECOWAS, tried to lure Gbagbo from power with promises of asylum and threats of forcible removal, according to The Guardian. Gbagbo refused, refortified and rejected a call from Barack Obama.
Alassane Ouattara, widely viewed as the election winner, has been working with supporters from an Abidjan hotel, under the protection of UN peacekeepers, according to the Voice of America. Several news sources say that local news in Abidjan are reporting that Gbagbo’s representatives are demanding Ouattara and supporters leave the hotel by January 1 or face a attacks by Gbagbo’s supporters.
Gbagbo’s guys are already suspected of having committed human rights abuses, including the possible massacre of 80 people in a hotel to which the UN was refused entry this week. From the AP :
“We would be the very first to say that these stories are false if they turn out to be false,” Munzu said. “Our findings on the matter and their announcement to the world would have a greater chance of being believed than these repeated denials.”
Human rights groups accuse Gbagbo’s security forces of abducting and torturing political opponents since the disputed Nov. 28 vote, which the U.N. said Gbagbo lost. U.N. investigators have cited dozens of reported cases of disappearances, and nearly 500 arrests and detentions.
Meanwhile, the UN has confirmed “six deaths, three disappearances, 20 kidnapping and 11 arrests and injuries,” according to the head of human rights for the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI). He noted, “That does not mean that during the week there were only these cases.”
Nearly 20,000 Cote d’Ivoirians have fled to neighboring Liberia since the election Nov. 28. (Some of the country’s cocoa has followed them.) Local and foreign journalists are harassed and detained, and programs from Radio France International and France24, among others, are being jammed.
The country’s UN ambassador, recently appointed by Ouattra, has said the country is “on the brink of genocide.” He says Gbagbo’s supporters are tagging homes with the ethnicity of their owners — obviously an ominous sign and one usually identified by scholars as a pre-cursor to genocide.
The UN’s top advisers for mass atrocities used careful language today to sound a warning about the country. They recounted reports — and acknowledged them as unconfirmed — of human rights abuses by supporters of Gbagbo. Francis Deng, the special representative on genocide prevention, and Ed Luck, special representative on the responsibility to protect, also noted supporters’ incitement to hatred and violence and reminded everyone of the various treaties the country has signed. It read, to me, as a diplomatic way of warning Gbagbo that he’s next in line for an ICC indictment if he doesn’t shape up.
But the joint statement is more than diplomacy; it’s a sign the rest of the world should be worried. Cote d’Ivoire has a troubled and violent history, which includes ethnic massacres some would characterize as genocide. If these two guys are taking the UN podium, after Cote d’Ivoire’s ambassasdor has introduced the g-word, we’re on the cusp of something disastrous — and, hopefully, still preventable.
But the clock is ticking.
UPDATE: A “hidden gunman” fired on UN peacekeepers in Abidjan today; the Gbagbo claimed they injured civilians, although the UN says they fired warning shots, not at at the crowd. The news sources I cite above mention that among the possibilities with real currency is that Gbagbo uses a situation to provoke the UN and then force them out, with guns if that’s what it takes.
PS: For more on genocide, prevention, and the wisdom of using those two words together, see my later post.
Hi Jina,
I had just been thinking recently about a curious journalistic aspect of this whole storyline, that I wanted to share with you: the normal democratic-transition terminology is a bit confusing here, given the bizarre situation of having two presidents.
Broadcasts and articles, such as your post above, refer the “incumbent,” when Gbagbo is in a different light technically the “ex-head-of-state,” and a BBC story the other day referred to Ouattara as the “president-elect” when he was technically sworn in, so does that make him simply “President?” At least there has only been one incumbent, when there are/were 2 presidents-elect and two presidents. More than one radio report has mentioned simply “the President” when in this peculiar circumstance that doesn’t specify one particular individual. In that way, its tricky getting the clarity of the story across without also taking sides in a certain sense.
[BTW I’m going 3 for 3 here, to see if I leave a relatively innocuous comment reflecting my personal point of view, another reader comes out of nowhere to haughtily dismiss my sophomoric opinions! Haha… ]
Happy New Year, Matt
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too. I’ve borrowed from those who refer to Gbabgo as “the incumbent.” Though one could argue that he should simply be the ex-president; he’s the only one still claiming the title. And the UN has accredited as an ambassador someone the other guy sent, so… Tricky, indeed.
I like Kate’s take at Wronging Rights: “no-longer-the-President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to hand over power to actually-the-President Alassane Ouattara…”
Very interesting headline.We all owe a duty to see that Ivorians are not slained by the criminal Bgabgo and his merceneries.He is likely to killed hundreds of thousands to retain the Presidency.
Actually I will hold the International Community responsible for this ugly situation, because they are the ones, who allowed Gbagbo to remain the President for 10 years.UN was quiet, EU was indifferent, one asian country was pouring money like water.
It has now become clear that Gbagbo will lead Cote d’Ivoire into a civil war by killing Outtara and all his supporters.He will not hesitate to kill UN peacekeepers too.Foreigners are not safe anymore
As someone currently living in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, I have to respectfully disagree with the analysis provided.
While there is no doubt that there are some disappearances and killings that have happened, the current rhetoric being spouted by the new UN ambassador (appointed by Ouattara) seems more like pure propaganda intended to get the international community to help overthrow their competition. Convenient that these claims came only after ECOWAS decided they wouldn’t be using military force. Yes, Gbagbo has surely committed crimes and violence and will likely commit much more, but we must not forget that Ouattara has done this as well. There are no angels here and it is getting extremely frustrating to keep reading about him as a martyr in the international eye.
The claims of the houses marked in tribal affiliation is interesting, since the affiliations are already well known to anyone living in each community and anyone in the city can tell you which districts are full of Ouattara supporters. It’s no secret. There would be no need to mark them and I have seen nothing of the sort personally and I have been all over Abidjan on a daily basis. In fact, many of the neighbourhoods have long been tribally separated and everyone knows that this district has Ouattara supporters and this district is Gbagbo supporters.
On the streets here, especially during the day, it seems almost normal. Tense, but normal. The radar traffic cops are back to writing speeding tickets even. I can freely travel all over the city without problem, and the streets are full of people every day. We can’t forget that while Ouattara may have “won” the elections (and I believe the truth of this will never actually be known considering that EVERY monitoring report cited intimidation, fraud and irregularities from BOTH sides), nearly half the population did NOT want him in power, especially those in Abidjan. It is hardly the entire voice of the Ivorian people standing united behind Ouattara, the country is clearly divided, as it has been for more than a decade.
Another thing I find lacking in the reporting I keep reading is the fact that many of those 20,000 refugees into Liberia, are actually Liberians or other West Africans who have been refugees for most of the last decade and have traversed across those borders numerous times whenever the situation in either country gets hot. They are, no doubt, experiencing harassment as of late, as they do from the population here whenever there are domestic problems (scapegoating of foreigners) and especially in this situation as Ouattara is locally considered by many to not be of Ivorian descent himself. Cote D’Ivoire has nearly 120,000 Liberian refugees, several thousand from Sierra Leone, many thousand Burkinabes… nearly half the population is foreign, making the likelihood of African-led invasion extremely doubtful, as they would only be upsetting the apple cart and bringing greater amounts of violence on their own countrymen (not to mention several of those countries have leaders, who themselves are in power through fraudulent means). Intervention, in this case, will lead to EXTREME violence and is not the route to take if one is actually interested in the well-being of the average Ivorian.
Another point worth mentioning, since it is frequently wrongly reported as of late. The radio and tv stations are no longer jammed, and haven’t been in several weeks. We get the ONUCI radio, loud and clear and have since the second week of December. We are also getting France 24 and France International. Also, it is not merely pro-Ouattara journalists who are being targeted and facing intimidation. I, personally, have received death threats for writing things even slightly critical of Ouattara, and all the opposition papers are still being distributed daily throughout the city, full of violent rhetoric and incitements to hatred themselves.
I find the talk of “genocide” here extremely improbable. You have political killings, attempts to cut out major political agitators (still problematic) and inter-neighbourhood spates of violence (which is not new to this area, although intensified)– but genocide??? Considering that the three districts I visited within Abidjan tonight (including one heavily pro-Ouattara neighbourhood) were all out in full blown party-mode with music blaring and fireworks and drunken antics this evening for the New Year celebration well into the night, I find it hard to believe that this is the case.
Rebecca,
Do you live in Abidjan? Where do you get this nonsense from?
“…..In fact, many of the neighbourhoods have long been tribally separated and everyone knows that this district has Ouattara supporters and this district is Gbagbo supporters…….
And this rubbish? “….nearly half the population did NOT want him in power, especially those in Abidjan….” Ouattara garnered 48% of the electorate in Abidjan and 70% of his 54% came from the “christian” south.
Yes. I do live in Abidjan and have off and on for many years.
Are you suggesting that if you ask someone on the street in Abobo what the majority of the population in their neighbourhood’s ethnicity or political leanings are and where they live, they couldn’t tell you? Or that we couldn’t do the same in parts of Yopougon? Or any other district? There are neighbourhoods that are also not homogeneous (as I’ve stated in another comment here, there is lots of intermixing), but there certain districts that are known for their political leanings.
Um. As to the second point. If Ouattara garnered 48% of the vote in Abidjan, wouldn’t that still mean that Gbagbo got 52%? That nearly half the population didn’t want him in power? I’m not understanding what you are arguing here. It is not as if Ouattara got 80% across the country– it was split.
OK.
Abobo, Gbagbo has 41% Ouattara 59%… Please tell us where the Gbagbo people live and where the Ouattara people live? I visited 2 voting stations on election day in Abobo during and after vote counting. In the voting station [literally]”behind the rails” Ouattara garnered about 60% and Gbagbo about 40%. Some 500 meters from there at a school towards PK18 the vote was about 50%-50%. Tell us where the Ouattara areas and Gbagbo areas are before you start disqualifying allegations of people marking houses.
Cocody, Gbagbo has 59% Ouattara 41%… Please tell us where the Gbagbo people live and where the Ouattara people live?
Point take, but the Please try qualify your “especially in Abidjan” in your statement then?
“….. nearly half the population did NOT want him [Ouattara] in power, especially those in Abidjan.
All election results down to districts available here
http://www.abidjan.net/elections2010/Resultats/2emetour/
@Gis– I live here Abidjan all my life, and I tell you where Gbagbo people live where Ouattara people live. It easy. Everyone knows. You are for Ouattara no doubt and say only things in opposition papers.
“the current [genocide] rhetoric being spouted by the new UN ambassador (appointed by Ouattara) seems more like pure propaganda intended to get the international community to help overthrow their competition.”
Long before the Ouattara-appointed UN ambassador Bamba, it was among others Attorney Douoguih (senior legal advisor to Gbagbo) who threatened the situation would involve into a new Rwanda if the int’l community didn’t keep out of this: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan/2010/12/201012892611825103.html
Around that time Ivorian state-TV RTI showed “Hotel Rwanda” a few times while dead bodies were turning up in Abobo and live ones disappeared.
This would certainly be a concern to Bamba and he’d not be doing his job well if he failed to listen to such threats. I certainly hope that genocide is far too strong a term for what is about to unfold, but like Bamba I wouldn’t want to be the one not to have taken such threats seriously enough.
Two people living in Abidjan confirmed to me there were Dioula markings on houses. Here’s an example: http://observers.france24.com/content/20110104-ivory-coast-door-markings-abidjan-dioula-baoule-ethnic-rivalries
Of course this could be staged. We’d only know 100% if we found a Gbagbo-official doing it, but if there were odds on this, I’d bet good money it’s real.
“It is hardly the entire voice of the Ivorian people standing united behind Ouattara, the country is clearly divided, as it has been for more than a decade.”
Who is even claiming differently? Where you’re going with the argument that Ouattara has only won by 8% I don’t know. While there are exceptions (large coalition governments in particular) you’ll find that in most countries the side that won their last credible election has not done so by a margin of 80%. It’s quite natural that both sides develop in such a way that either have a reasonable chance of winning and thus one ends up in the 40s and the other (“winner”) in the 50s. Ghana’s elections were recently decided by less than half a percent if I remember correctly. So what?
Wow, I went to dinner, and things took off… Appreciate the detailed discussions. Just a heads up to all that I’ll be offline for a few days, up country reporting a story, so if your future comments don’t get approved, it’s not editorializing. It’s simply that I don’t have internet.
@Andreas-I absolutely think they should take threats seriously. There is a lot of violence happening at the moment– and it needs to be thoroughly investigated and all parties responsible should be tried at the ICC or domestically at the first possible chance. Both sides are filling the news with propaganda, and want to use the term “genocide” to their advantage to get what they want. Sadly, I think that the usage of the term in such a way by the leaders is unnecessarily escalating things in an effort to hype up their supporters and the international community to try and make action (or lack thereof).
I have also said in a later comment here, that I wasn’t discounting that there were markings– but that I hadn’t personally seen any. Since I wrote that comment, I have heard rumors from many people in certain areas about markings, but no first hand accounts yet. It’s always been a friend of a friend, or people heard it from their neighbour, or that kind of thing. I don’t doubt for a minute that this is absolutely possible (and likely), and that it was done as intimidation by small groups of people. I didn’t hear people talking about it locally however until much after it appeared in the news and so at the time of writing that comment (when things were seemingly calming down within the city), it was relatively new news to me and the talk of genocide and markings seemed to come out of left field.
I don’t think (and certainly hope) that things are not descending into genocide. There are killings happening. There is no doubt of this, but I think that the majority of people do not want to kill their neighbours because of their affiliations and are not about to go that route. If there becomes a full out war in the country between armed forces, this could change– and the country certainly risks heading in that direction if the rhetoric and situation doesn’t begin to de-escalate. Maybe I am being naive in thinking that, but I just don’t see a genocide happening here. I do see a lot of political violence happening until some sort of agreement or change can be made, but most of what I’m hearing from people lately is that they just want to go back to normal, whoever’s in charge.
There are actually many articles out there that talk of the Ivorian people (pretty much as a whole) wanting Gbagbo out and I was reading quite a few of them at the time I wrote that comment. My point with that statement was that it is not the entire population wanting any one thing– that it’s quite divided. There are many who want Ouattara in, but there are also many who don’t. That doesn’t mean that there can’t be a winner only if there is 80%, just that it’s not an entire country angrily waiting for Gbagbo to leave.
I’m sorry if I’m pissing people off here — I am merely trying to reflect that which has been told to me in numerous interviews and found during my research. It is not my intention to discount any acts of violence, as I have heard many being told to me that are absolutely horrific from many different groups around the country. I’ve had threats on my life as well since this conflict has begun, as well as angry commenters on my websites who slowly escalate their rhetoric and have violently suggested they would come and find and kill me– and so this is why get thoroughly upset when an online debate takes a personal turn. If you disagree with me, that’s fine– please set me straight respectfully and I will do my best to justify or retract what I have said if I am incorrect. I am only one person, with one set of eyes and one set of ears and there is no one story here.
“I think that the majority of people do not want to kill their neighbours because of their affiliations and are not about to go that route.”
I couldn’t agree more. My impression was that before this all turned sour at the end of November there was a feeling of people just wanting to leave their troubles behind and get on with their lives and I bet it’s just the same if not more so for most of them now. I’ve heard many say that killings are perpetrated by a small number of radicals and mercenaries and that it would be very hard to get the Ivorian military to go after Ivorians. And if they don’t do it what are the chances of ordinary Ivorians doing it?
On the other hand with a growing number of radicalized and armed youths and reports of mercenaries being in and more being brought into the country, mass killings are certainly a possibility and with violence begetting violence I wouldn’t be all sure where this is going. You may well have the better instinct being there and I sure hope so.
I’m honestly sad and upset to hear what you’ve got to endure and I certainly didn’t mean for my comment to be perceived as a personal attack. I consider your comments valuable and wouldn’t want to miss them, especially when I don’t agree with them.
@Andreas. I didn’t take your comment as a personal attack, it was more a reflection of some other comments on here as of late. I appreciate differing views as well, because it helps me get more insight into the situation.
I haven’t seen anything much about the underlying issues of the ethnic conflict. Do land disputes, as mentioned in your story in the Monitor from a year ago about land issues –http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0130/Africa-s-continental-divide-land-disputes — have anything to at base with what’s going on?
Jina, I heavily second Rebecca’s comments. As someone who lived in Cote d’Ivoire up until the elections, I can say that her analysis is spot on. Yours, I’m sorry to say, is not. The point about the 20,000 “Ivoirians” fleeing in to Liberia is especially important to mention as yes, they are not Ivoirians, but other ethnic groups.
And all these “genocide” claims are the idiotic, explosive propaganda talk that Francophone African politicians love to spout. If conflict breaks out, it will not be an Muslim vs. Christian war. I’m sure that the press (and then in kind, uninformed bloggers) will want to portray it this way as it’s easier, but it will be doing a great disservice to solving the true issues which is mainly that there is a corrupt power base in Abidjan that doesn’t want to give up what it has tied in to the fact that it has been supported by French and other international companies happily extracting cacao, lumber, and other commodities from the country.
I’m not sure if you can read French or as just gleaning what you’ve repeated here from the BBC and UN press releases. If you can read French, at least do yourself a favor to keep up with the #civ2010 hashtag on Twitter which, while vitriolic in general is a separate voice from actual Ivorians.
Please don’t fall prey to being an “armchair blogger” on this issue as you’ll be doing no one any good and will just add fuel to the blaze misinformation that gets spread.
Thierry, I take your points, but I see three problems: 1) Your exclusive use of the term “Ivoirian” echoes to me the arguments I have read about ivoirite. 2) You assume that the rest of us will assume a conflict will be Muslim vs. Christian and therefore genocidal (it could follow many other social cleavages and still be awful). 3) Your comment assumes that genocide — let’s follow Benjamin Valentino give everyone a rhetorical breather by saying “mass killing” — is not about a “corrupt power base” invested in maintaining power (with or without outside economic support, but usually with).
I’m curious about the bias behind 1); I’m confused about 2) though assume it to be a reflection of the media you’re reading; and I heartily disagree with 3), but I’ll explain this more analytically in another post.
Rebecca, I think you make an important point that the new UN ambassador could be engaging in crying “genocide” as a form of propoganda. It’s a very real risk. But for me the fact that Deng and Luck made a joint statement is an independent sign that we’re in a moment of serious risk. It’s also generally true, historically, of genocide that the communities know who is who but that the targeted people are “marked” publicly in some way despite that common communal knowledge. To assume that a public marking — a yellow star in Germany, the reading of names of Tutsis on Rwandan radio, or the alleged marking of tribal affiliations in Abidjan — is to correct for communal ignorance that would impede genocidal policy is to fall for falsity (and in some cases perhaps precisely the falsity intended perpetrators seek to use as a defense. “Why would we need to tell people who the Jews/Tutsis are? Everyone knows already! So how can you say we’re doing this? What a waste of effort/time/resources it would be…” etc.)
As for who the refugees are — I assume it’s not in the reporting because it’s not in the figures UNHCR is releasing, which given the rapidity of the movement makes sense. I’d be surprised if an analysis of original country of origin (and multiple countries of residency, official or underground) were available that fast. Though maybe data collection in remote places is improving?
But I’m also puzzled by your mimicry of the argument that Outattra is not “Ivoirian.” See above, and next post…
Clara — I think it’s more about political constructed ethnicities as a means of maintaining economic & political power…
Jina, your point about the markings is well taken. Just because people know who they are doesn’t mean they couldn’t be marked as a means of intimidation. This is very true. As I have said though, I haven’t seen any such markings personally and am frequently in pro-Ouattara neighbourhoods. In speaking to locals, I have also not heard this claim from one person in any of my research.
As for Deng and Luck’s statement (http://www.un.org/preventgenocide/adviser/pdf/Special%20Advisers%27%20Statement%20on%20Cote%20d%27Ivoire,%2029%20.12.2010.pdf), it didn’t say anything about specific information to back up the claims of genocide, but rather condemned the language inciting violence and merely spoke in passing of the allegations made by Ouattara’s UN ambassador. It is a moment of serious risk of violence, but I think the only ones talking of genocide at the moment are those spouting propaganda in Ouattara’s camp.
From my sources at the UNHCR I have heard this of the refugee situation, and I have read from at least one other source that a UNHCR rep. has suggested this as well (see http://chrisblattman.com/2011/01/01/hoisted-from-comments-cote-divoire-insights/). I think the actual statistics will take some time to come out and verify.
I did not mean to imply that Ouattara is not Ivorian, but merely reflect the sentiment that I am so constantly told here on the streets and why this results in violence against foreigners. The Ivorite concept is a dangerous one, especially considering the amount of foreigners in the country.
Jina, simply put, strike the word “genocide” from your writing about Cote d’Ivoire. Civil war might very well happen, but genocide no and to argue the point further emphasizes a complete lack of understanding as to the situation and being able to be seduced by these grandiose terms that are used to lure in those who chose to write about the “hot” conflict of the moment. Just because you live/lived in Rwanda does not entitle you the ability to know everything about all parts of Africa.
Also, do not bandy about the term “Ivoirité” to give the illusion that you’ve a greater understanding of the issues at hand. There is a great deal written on that issue (again, in French) which you need to read if wanting to engage in a discussion. And, to a degree, it has become slightly less of an issue as the concept of who is “Ivorian” has been made less stringent, as shown by Ouattara being able to run in this election.
Rebecca — your absolutely right about the potency of the word “genocide” on all sides of this, or any other, conflict. Thanks for pointing that out. It’s important. I think Deng & Luck’s statement reflects that diplomacy is always incremental, gauged, careful with rhetoric, and also that theirs are fragile positions — new posts and jobs that are almost stacked against them from the outset. Who, really, wants to be the guy to publicly predict genocide? To be right undermines our humanity; to be wrong (seemingly) undermines your credibility. It’s a tricky spot. I’ll be interested to see how those UNHCR numbers shake out…
Thierry, I’m not sure where all that emotion is coming from, but let me clear up a few things: I don’t mean to “bandy” the term ivoirite or to give an illusion that I have some magical knowledge. I certainly don’t think living in Rwanda helps me understand ivoirite; but I do think there are cross-contextual things to consider about the way exclusionist structures intersect with nationalist rhetoric and violence, and at what points that violence turns genocidal (and whether we can anticipate it, and if we can, whether we can prevent it, etc. etc. — it’s a long conversation, to be sure). And alas, I suppose it’s true that “genocide” is a “hot” term right now. But I’ve been at my work on genocide a lot longer than the kids have been lobbying their senators… which is to say, I think there’s more at stake than what you seem to interpret as a linguistic fad.
That said, your point about Ouattra’s eligibility in the election is interesting. Curious to hear more.
I think the concept of “Ivorite” has changed in the past few years. When I lived in Cote D’Ivoire during the civil war in 2004, it was much more pronounced. It is not a matter of who is “Ivorian” or not. It’s much more complicated that. Nearly half the population is foreign, and I’d have to say that ethnic lines are often stronger than Ivorian heritage.
Since I’ve been back in Abidjan over the last year, I’ve noticed the changes. As Thierry says, the fact that Ouattara was able to run in this election speaks volumes for the change in the concept, and even bigger to that, is the fact that Henri Bedie (who can be credited with truly establishing this concept in the country) endorsed and supported Ouattara in the second round of this election.
There is an element of hatred for foreigners in the country, but this is layered. Yes, there is a hatred among some populations of other West Africans who are in the country. There is also a lingering hatred/distrust for the French, the UN and much of the “meddling” international community. There is also resentment at the Lebanese who own great amounts of the industry and commercial ventures in the country. There is also anger from some communities at the Chinese, the Italians and other Europeans who are slowly siphoning resources out of the country. There is also a resentment for the Julas who run a great deal of the commerce. There is also hatred among several different ethnic groups, and also tons of intermixing and inter-marriage between these groups. There is also a divide between rich and poor. I’ve spoken to numerous business owners who have told me, oh we don’t like to hire this group because they are X. Or we don’t hire this group because they are Y. And I’ve interviewed many workers who tell me how people from this group are bad because Z. And frankly, these hatreds are soo overlapped, I couldn’t clearly distinguish for you which group hates the other, because I’ve heard conflicting hatreds within each group set.
Justice doesn’t exist in this country. Corruption is rampant. And everyone needs a scapegoat, and they frequently use whichever one suits their purpose at the moment. I’m inclined to think that this won’t likely change whether Ouattara or Gbagbo is in power.
That’s totally fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Rebecca,
I don’t think the ECOWAS has ever said that they would not use force. For a while there were mixed messages with Cap Verde saying that an intervention was off the table for the moment at the same time as ECOWAS army heads in Abuja were saying that an intervention would be made if talks fail. I found the AFP report below on http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/ASAZ-8CNJGG?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=civ
——
Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Date: 31 Dec 2010
LAGOS — West African regional military chiefs have set in motion plans to oust Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo if negotiations fail, a Nigerian defence spokesman said Friday.
The decision was reached at a meeting in Abuja of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) attended by military chiefs from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Niger and Nigeria.
“The committee of chiefs of defence staff met on Tuesday and Wednesday to put machinery in motion that if all political persuasions fail… ECOWAS will forcefully take over power from Laurent Gbagbo and hand over to Alassane Ouattara,” Colonel Mohamed Yerimah told AFP.
——-
The Ouattara camp have made claims of disappearances and killings ever since disappearances and killings started on the day of the second round of voting. Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Reporters without borders and UNHRC have made the same claims.
These claims just got a bit more international media attention when Ouattara’s UN representative voiced them.
Here are reports from UNHRC and HRW from Dec 23rd:
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/12/23/c-te-d-ivoire-pro-gbagbo-forces-abducting-opponents
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37154&Cr=ivoire&Cr1
From the latter report:
“Abuses include identifying dwellings by marking them with signs to facilitate the entry by armed individuals at night into homes to abduct people and commit other crimes, UNOCI said in a statement at a press briefing in Abidjan. To protect themselves, men have been setting up makeshift barricades while women warn neighbourhoods of the presence of intruders by blowing whistles and banging pots and pans.”
Regarding claims of the houses marked in tribal affiliation, I know a mixed neighbourhood in Yopougon where such markings were made a night two days before the second round. When safety has improved, if you are interested, I can tell you exactly where it is, and have you talk to people who live there whose house were marked.
I would be interested in that very much Martin. Just because I haven’t heard it or seen it with my own eyes, doesn’t mean it’s not happening– as I am well aware.
I had read previous reports from ECOWAS stating they weren’t going to intervene anymore– I didn’t realize that that had changed. I don’t believe a word of the news anymore. It’s all over the place. I personally don’t see intervention likely to happen, based on the scaling back of many military units for financial reasons, and the fact that the biggest troop base (Nigeria) is about to descend into its own troubles where it’s troops will be needed. Also, several of the ECOWAS countries are in a problematic position of having gained power through potentially fraudulent elections themselves, and the fact that an intervention will likely lead to greater violence against their own nationals within the Cote D’Ivoire and the potential for greater instability within the region should they invade. I just don’t see them making that move, regardless of what happens in Cote D’Ivoire. They don’t have the resources necessary.
Disappearances and killings, while terrible, do not necessarily equate to genocide. And, on that note, there are killings and disappearances happening in the north of the country to Gbagbo supporters, as well as claims of intimidation by Forces Nouvelles of refugees made by the UNHCR. This is hardly all one-sided. There are terrible amounts of violence and incitement being made right now, and its incredibly sad.
Rebecca,
Can you please point out one report where ECOWAS said this?
“… I had read previous reports from ECOWAS stating they weren’t going to intervene anymore…” For your information, the Chief of staffs of the ECOWAS are meeting in Bamako tomorrow 17th January 2011 to plan logistics for this move.
Rebecca, in your controversial article in theroot.com, you informed a commentator to your articles, “Ivorian”, that you only watched local news. That is state television, RTI. Seems like it is the only news you agree with.
You are welcome to believe whatever you want. If Gbagbo does not step down, military intervention shall take place. The Ivorian army is decorative having been emasculated several times in the last 10 years. It will be a pleasure for other African Armies to earn some brownie points in the international arena. Faced with machine guns, your friend Ble Goude and thugs will lay low in much the same way the opposition youth are being kept in their place by Gbagbo’s guns.
Rebecca, the only recorded killings in the north since 2002 took place between the rebels themselves. There have never been any systematic killings of civilians up north as there is today here in the south with Gbagbo. You are welcome to read all amnesty reports and reports from the UN mission human rights division here. The rebels are known for fighting among themselves as opposed to killing civilians as you would like us to believe. I advise you to watch less RTI and pay attention to the international media. These are professional people who go out and do their investigation unlike you.
@Gis. I actually never said I only watched local tv in that comment, I said that local tv was full of propaganda. I have been online throughout the entire crisis, reading both local and international news.
I disagree with you about the violence from the rebel side, as I have taken histories from people who report otherwise.
Human Rights Watch reports also suggest otherwise: “In Dix-Huit Montagnes, a region still largely under the de facto control of the Forces Nouvelles, rebel soldiers fan out to checkpoints, businesses, and market stalls and demand money, using intimidation and violence to enforce their demands. ” from http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/10/22/c-te-d-ivoire-rampant-criminality-sexual-violence-west
Also: “HRW has acknowledged difficulties in monitoring abuses carried out in such areas (ie. the North), 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.” from http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91568
There are NUMEROUS other reports like these ones, that are not hard to find with simple searches.
I really wish you wouldn’t try to make this personal because I won’t respond to you any further if that will be the case– Ble Goude is hardly my “friend” and I have written much about the dangers that this man poses. I am in the streets here everyday Gis, as a researcher, interviewing people and reading the local and international reports. I’m sorry that you disagree with my assessment.
If you were a serious researcher you would be well aware that the kind of practices outlined in the HRW report are standard practice here in Abidjan as well; be it by the police or FESCI. Please try point out one street vendor or respectable establishment in Cocody St. Jean that does not pay “tax” to FESCI? what we are talking about is state sanctioned systematic murder and abuse as the case is here in Abidjan.
I am sorry, what you try say are not a assessments but very irresponsible personal opinions lacking any sort of “researched” proof.
The FN does many killings since 2002. They harass and make trouble for many in the north. From the election, they kill many people. Most of the refugees come from this area, because they are scare of the FN.
What research you do Gis other than read opposition news? Seem like none.
Great post; even better debate. Jina, you do a wonderful job as facilitator, which leads to a finer falling-out of the facts and factors at play in a situation as complex as this one is. My thanks to Rebecca and Thierry as well, for their on-the-ground contributions.
Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your kind words, and even more than that your attentive read. It’s wonderful to have such in-depth back and forth across countries and continents…
Rebecca in other ramblings…. “A military intervention would spell disaster for this country…..”
Something to the order of “.. with a military intervention we would have a whole scale machete massacre of the Julas….” (Dioulas that is..)…
Question: with all that said in one way or another, is that not Genocide? “whole scale machete massacre of the Dioulas?
Rebecca needs to cut her contradictions and come clean that she is on Gbagbo’s payroll.
It seem like the RCI ambassador to the UN is not allowed to use the G-word but Rebecca can to advance the pro-Gbagbo threat that hell will break loose if the despot is removed by force?
“… an intervention would result in massive slaughter and violence in the street, to even genocidal levels. If ECOWAS or another international party were to intervene militarily, THIS is when you would have wholesale slaughter of Jula in the south, along with all other foreigners. You would effectively see machete slaughter all over the streets. You can’t forget that Gbagbo has a lot of supporters who are angry and have extreme hatred for all things French, UN and foreign messing with their country….”
@ Gis — I will not be responding to you any further. I am not on Gbagbo’s payroll, and find the suggestion in such a debate completely unnecessary and disrespectful.
Rebecca, It is fine that you do not want to address your contradictions. I do not find it disrespectful and unnecessary asking you to confirm whether or not you are on Gbagbo’s payroll. The line of argument you take is very very much that taken by Both Gbagbo and Ble Goude, not only on this forum.
Thanks to all for your patience with the comments pending while I was gone, and for the continued debate.
This is hopelessly embarrassing, but I only *just* discovered — like five minutes ago — that I can edit comments written by other people. Oh, the powers of Admin!
I’m mentioning this because some of the comments here have edged over the line. I’m writing this as a blanket notification that if part of your comment violates my totally-personally-made-up rules, available on my bio page, I’ll edit that part out. If the whole comment violates it, I’ll simply not publish it. If you have questions or concerns, you’re of course welcome to drop me a line and discuss.
Dear Anonymous,
You would perhaps like to read the HR watch report out today (26.012011) and the EU Election Observer Mission final report out yesterday… You will have a difficult time pointing out allegations of violence by “both parties” in these reports. As I have been pointing out from the start, Violence is carried out nearly exclusively by the Gbagbo camp.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/01/26/c-te-d-ivoire-violence-campaign-security-forces-militias
http://eueom.eu/files/pressreleases/english/executive-summary-25012010_en.pdf
Without having read these reports in detail, there’s no doubt in my mind that the FN commit terrible deeds as well and I know there are those reports, too, at the very least relating to their past.
And apparently ordinary Ouattara-supporting Ivorians in Abobo will happily kill someone who is said to be a member of the army or police: http://hotelivory.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/nightmare-scenario/
While I suspect that Gbagbo currently has the upper hand in terms of quantity of misdeeds, I think it would be wrong to see the rebels as some sort of saintly force.
I’m mostly observing the conversation here between people with more ground knowledge than I, but Andreas, how can you conclude from a tweet, from someone named “fakegbagbo” at that, that certain people “will happily kill someone…[of] the army or police”? It holds up, at best, as rumor, not evidence.
HRW tends to be pretty systematic in its evidence collection. EU Elections Observers are usually acceptably broad, though I don’t think they’re always as apolitical as they pretend to be. Both, at least, have specific methodological approaches to their fact-gathering and analysis. (No methodology statements in those reports, alas, but a girl gets a lot by asking.)
Whatever side of this you’re on, it’s important to separate credible from questionable sources, and as a journalist (who is often accused of having far more lax/”irresponsible” sourcing practices than the researchers who, for example, put out those reports) I think a single tweet (from a questionable twitter account) doesn’t make the cut as a credible source.
I agree it’s a questionable source which is why I used no stronger word than “apparently”. I included it because I think it reasonably likely to be true not least because I’ve heard similar from someone in Abidjan that I know well.
Historically the Forces Nouvelles have contributed their (un)fair share of ill-treatment to the people of Cote d’Ivoire and that’s hard to argue, see e.g.:
“Abuses by the “Forces Nouvelles”[1] rebel groups and allied Liberian fighters include: summary executions of dozens of government officials, suspected government sympathizers and members of civilian militias by Ivorian rebel troops; systematic looting, summary executions and other acts of violence against civilians by Liberian fighters allied to the MPIGO rebel group; and sexual violence against girls and women in the west, including rape and sexual slavery.” http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2003/06/20/regional-crisis-and-human-rights-abuses-west-africa
I do have to say though that now that I’ve read it, the HRW report linked to by Gis does leave me with the impression that there’s currently mainly just one party committing atrocities, and that’s everyone around Gbagbo. So perhaps FN really are behaving themselves.
I think an important thing to note from the HRW report is that it is done exclusively within Abidjan and does not touch on other problems within the wider part of the country. It’s very clear that security forces and other militias are committing grave human rights abuses within the city limits, and there is no real debate on that.
The Danish Refugee Council has reported recent instances of abuses by the Forces Nouvelles, and also that they have been preventing refugees from crossing the borders (http://www.drc.dk/news/news/artikel/fleeing-unrest-in-cote-divoire/). There have also been reports of them crossing borders to intimidate refugees (see http://chrisblattman.com/2010/12/17/just-give-me-one-president-instead-of-two-i-dont-care-which-one/). I agree with Andreas, that Gbagbo’s camp no doubt have the upper hand on misdeads, but that the rebel forces are also far from saints.
On the other side we have someone claiming to do research in Cote d’Ivoire whose surveys and interviews are not available for us to scrutinize or question. The same person follows the line of argument being taken by Gbagbo and clan. And, at the same time belittles the credibility of serious investigative and wire journalists based in Cote d’Ivoire.
On fakegbagbo, I follow the account on twitter. I have no complaints about the accuracy and balanced approach taken by the account. The truth of the matter in Abobo is that residents there started taking the law into their own hands and shot back at the policeman harassing them. As a result, there are fewer extra-judicial killings in the area and relative calm even thought there is a curfew there.
A quick note to let everyone know I’m going to close the comments here. I’ve appreciated the contributions to this discussion, and I hope you’ll keep reading.