By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch, Africa

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire — Côte d’Ivoire’s state prosecutor has issued an international arrest warrant for Charles Ble Goude, the country’s youth militia leader under ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.  Ble Goude was named Youth Minister when Gbagbo refused to leave office after the United Nations (“UN”)-certified Alassane Outtara the winner of the election in November 2010.  Gbagbo’s actions triggered four months of violence throughout the country.  Ble Goude has escaped from Côte d’Ivoire, and officials report spotting him in Benin and Ghana.

The violence killed approximately 3,000 people.  Several of Ble Goude’s Young Patriots engaged in the violence with weapons, brandishing machetes, clubs, and AK-47s.  The Young Patriots countered the insurgency by establishing roadblocks throughout Côte d’Ivoire and attacking French and UN Peacekeeping troops.  The Youth Patriots also killed many Ouattara supporters and foreign West African nationals by burning them to death.

Ble Goude mobilized thousands of men at the conclusion of the violence to join the army.  Human rights groups report Ble Goude fervently called Côte d’Ivoirians at rallies to defend the country against “foreigners”.  After these gatherings, militia killings often occurred against Ouattara’s northern Dioula tribe members.

State prosecutor Simplice Kouadio Koffi said the state has issued arrest warrants against “suspects on the run”.  Côte d’Ivoire issued arrest warrants for Gbagbo’s inner circle including Ahoua Don Mello (Gbagbo’s government spokesman during the violence), Philippe Attey (ex-industry minister), and Raymond Koudou Kessie (Gbagbo’s ambassador to Israel).  These men, and 21 others in detention, face charges that include xenophobia, infractions against the security and authority of the state, tribalism, forming of armed gangs, abuse of office, and rebellion.  Koffi stated “for many weeks, [these] people incited hatred and xenophobia and committed all kinds of atrocities”.

Ouattara captured Gbagbo in April 2010.  Detained in the northern part of the country, Côte d’Ivoirian courts will try Gbagbo for war crimes, corruption, embezzlement, and economic crimes.

Presently, a delegation of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) is in Côte d’Ivoire to investigate the possibility of prosecuting the war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred during the post-election violence.

BBC reports the Ouattara government has promised the people an end to the impunity.  However, only Gbagbo supporters are being arrested and detained even though the UN Human Rights Council believes both Gbagbo and Ouattara committed war crimes during the post-election violence.  Human Rights Watch commented “there is a growing divide between the Ouattara government’s rhetoric that no one is above the law and the reality that justice appears one-sided”.

For more information, please see:
CBS – Ivory Coast issues warrant for Gbagbo youth leader – 2 July 2011
BBC – Ivory Coast warrant for Gbagbo ally Ble Goude – 1 July 2011
Reuters – Ivory Coast issues warrant for Gbagbo youth leader – 1 July 2011
The West Australian – I. Coast issues arrest warrant for Gbagbo allies – 1 July 2011