FIDH, MIDH and LIDHO strongly condemn the killing of at least 11 people in the city of Duékoué and in the Nahibly internally displaced persons (IDP) camp on 19 and 20 July 2012.
"These murders, which must be strongly punished, demonstrate the urgent need to restore security and the need to exercise impartial justice in Ivory Coast, particularly in the West," said Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President. "This is the first task incumbent upon Ivorian authorities, even though lasting peace and reconciliation is a common undertaking that cannot be achieved without including people and civil society in the process," she added.
MIDH and LIDHO conducted preliminary investigations of the bloody events that took place in Duékoué.
According to preliminary findings, five people were attacked and killed in Kokoman, a Duékoué neighbourhood populated overwhelmingly by members of the Malinke ethnic group, after what appears to have initially been a robbery gone wrong, but then took on a politico-ethnic dimension in the events that followed.
In retaliation, and according to a testimony collected by MIDH: "A horde of angry and riotous young Malinke set fire to the camp on 20 July 2012 on the grounds that the perpetrators of the killings came from there."
According to initial investigations conducted by LIDHO, the Nahibly camp – which is home to those displaced from the post-electoral crisis, mostly from the Guéré ethnic group living in the Duékoué region – was attacked by young Malinke who had the support of traditional hunters called Dozo. Republican Forces of Ivory Coast (FRCI) were identified as having passively observed the event. The UN and UNOCI forces maintaining and managing the camp were not able to protect the refugees. LIDHO states that the attack on the camp left around a dozen dead, including a man burned alive. Dozens more were injured, abducted, and many people fled to the forests.
An MIDH source said this bloody retaliation against the internally displaced persons was motivated by the fact that "we are tired of these militias who attack us, kill us and rape our daughters and our wives. For some time the attacks have been perpetrated against populations of the region, in particular the Malinke and Akan. We saw weapons seized in the camp. Can we speak of internal refugees in these conditions? This cannot continue. The war is over. Everyone needs to return to their homes or their villages. On the night of 20 July 2012 they killed four people, and a fifth died later. We decided to get rid of them by burning their camp. This is the only way to protect ourselves and keep them away.”
Another MIDH source said: "The killings are common in Duékoué. However, it is very difficult to confirm that the people came from the IDP camp of Nahibly, as there are many robbers who take refuge in the city when they are hunted in the area. A horde of young Malinke, raging and furious actually set fire to the camp on 20 July 2012 on the grounds that killers came from the camp. The FRCI and the gendarmes who were present could not cope with this human tide because they are without the conventional means to impose order. Weapons were actually seized at the scene. The attack, which occurred on the night of Thursday, 19 July to Friday, 20 July 2012, resulted in five deaths from the Malinke community, to which they violently reacted. The retaliation resulted in six fatalities in the IDP camp. Eleven people in total have unfortunately lost their lives.”
LIDHO notes with amazement that the UN peacekeepers with the UN Operation in Ivory Coast (UNOCI), under whom responsibility the IDP camp is, were unable to prevent the fire and the massacre of its vulnerable population. Further, despite a high concentration in this region the FRCI, the gendarmerie, nor the police, could either foresee or prevent this tragedy.
Faced with this situation, the reaction of human rights defenders is unanimous: "We call for an urgent and rapid return to calm. Everyone should understand that private justice is unacceptable in a State of Law. Recourse to legal authorities remains the legally prescribed way for the settlement of any dispute whatsoever its nature. That is why we vehemently condemn these acts and invite people to fraternise to strengthen social cohesion. People should avoid any act contrary to the law. MIDH urgently demand an investigation to determine responsibility of these acts and take appropriate sanctions against perpetrators,"said Mr. Yacouba Doumbia, Acting MIDH President.
"LIDHO is concerned about the persistence and recurrence of violence in the region resulting from the manipulation of ethnicity for political purposes, and protests against the tendency to dispense justice on their own, turning their backs to legal remedies in the settlement of disputes between communities," said LIDHO President René Legre Hokou. "LIDHO calls the President of the Republic and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Ivory Coast, about their responsibility to protect and provide humanitarian relief for the people, and asks them to conduct an investigation so that the perpetrators of this savagery are identified and punished," he added.
"The Ivorian authorities must take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of persons and goods across the country in general and in the western region in particular, with the support of UNOCI" added Mr. Doumbia.
In a 24 July 2012 statement, the Ivorian government responded to the events in Duékoué and having found "the death of 11 people and 57 wounded, as well as several cases of rape, theft, and destruction of property." In addition, the Ivorian government stated in an “important announcement” that it "[S]trongly condemns these acts of extreme gravity, as well as the upsurge of violence in the western part of the country, and extends its deepest condolences to the victims of these barbaric acts." The government tried to reassure people "about measures taken to ensure the safety of all Ivorians, and intends to take additional measures in the coming weeks aimed at strengthening the military presence in the Mountain District.” Additionally, the Government has decided to send within the next few days several ministerial delegations to the western part of the country, in order to "inform people of the new arrangements to strengthen security in the region, and to assist in the resettlement of displaced people to their villages of origin, " as well as to "establish monitoring units to avoid future repetition of such acts." Finally, the Government "encourages judicial authorities to conduct field investigations in order to clearly determine those responsible, and to punish all perpetrators of these crimes and misdemeanours as soon as possible."
These events have occurred in an already tense atmosphere both locally and nationally. LIDHO noted this drama occured after political, administrative and military officials made public statements suggesting that the IDP camp harboured bandits, and calling for its dismantling. In addition, the massacre of the IDPs came after the killing of UN peacekeepers and Ivorian civilians in neighbouring Tai region.
Interview of René Legré Hokou on RFI (in French)
FIDH had already condemned the Duékoué massacre that occurred during the post-electoral crisis in which the city was captured by the FRCI and Dozos on 28 and 29 March 2011, in which at least 190 people were killed – for the most part executed – over these two days. FIDH has already called for an impartial and independent investigation.
To meet the challenge of ensuring that impartial justice is carried out in Ivory Coast, FIDH, MIDH, and LIDHO took civil action before the Ivorian courts on behalf of 75 victims of the post-electoral crisis in April 2012, on the basis of investigations conducted in Abidjan and throughout the western region.
The debate on the situation in Ivory Coast on France 24, with the Head of FIDH Africa desk, 27 July 2012 (in French):
– Part 1
– Part 2