Massacre in Ivory Coast Town Leaves Up to 800 Dead

By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

Forces Loyal to Mr. Ouattara in Duekoue, Ivory Coast. (Photo courtesy of AFP/Getty).
Forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara in Duekoue, Ivory Coast. (Photo courtesy of AFP/Getty).

DUEKOUE, Ivory Coast – The International Committee of the Red Cross (Red Cross) reports that a massacre has taken place in western Ivory Coast. The Red Cross estimates that at least 800 people were killed in this attack while the United Nations claims over 330 people are dead. During the past week violence has increased in many parts of Ivory Coast as followers loyal to president-elect Alassane Ouattara have captured parts of the country held by forces loyal to former president Laurent Gbagbo.

The massacre took place in the town of Duekoue on March 29 and left hundreds of people dead. According to Red Cross spokeswoman Dorothea Krimitas, the massacre was a result of “inter-communal” violence. The killings came at a time when forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara were sweeping through the region heading towards the city of Abidjan.

There is disagreement about who is responsible for the killings and exactly how many people died. The Red Cross is not sure whether this attack was undertaken by forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara or Mr. Gbagbo. Each side has accused the other of perpetrating the attack. Kelnor Panglun, a Red Cross spokesman who has been to Duekoue said “It’s truly horrific. We don’t have any information about the authors of these killings.” Alternatively, Guillaume Ngefa, the deputy human rights director at the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast claims that 220 people were killed by force loyal to Mr. Ouattara while at least 100 people were killed by forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo. On Sunday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Mr. Ouattara to launch an investigation into the attack.

Violence in Ivory Coast has fluctuated since the disputed November election but this past week has seen a spike in the number of people killed and injured. According to the Caritas charity website, between March 27 and 29 at least 1,000 people have been killed or disappeared. Along with these deaths, up to a million people have been forced to flee their homes since the election. This has led to a massive humanitarian crisis for both Ivory Coast and its neighbors. In Liberia, Ivory Coast’s neighbor to the west, up to a 120,000 Ivorians have crossed the border overwhelming U.N. refugee camps that have been set up.

Contributing to the violence and unrest, during the past five days forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara have successfully captured over 80 percent of Ivory Coast. While Mr. Ouattara has made gains, power and legitimacy is slipping away from Mr. Gbagbo. Reports claim several of his military generals have defected to the opposition or fled the country. Moreover, he has lost control of critical infrastructure including the Abidjan airport.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Ivory Coast: UN presses Ouattara over Duekoue massacre – 2 April 2011

CNN – Red Cross: 800 killed in Ivory Coast town – 2 April 2011

The Sydney Morning Herald — 800 dead in Ivory Coast massacre – 4 April 2011

The Times of India — UN chief presses Ouattara over Ivory Coast massacre – 3 April 2011

Author: Impunity Watch Archive