Armed Forces Condone Militia Crimes, Says Rights Group

Amnesty International (London)

28 July 2011

document

The introduction to Amnesty International’s report, “We want to go home, but we can’t: Côte d’Ivoire’s continuing crisis of displacement and insecurity:

Serious human rights violations and abuses, including crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions have been committed in Côte d’Ivoire since the arrest of former president Laurent Gbagbo on 11 April 2011.

The end of the political crisis – that erupted in the country following the contested outcome of the November 2010 presidential election – and the installation of a new government appointed by President Alassane Ouattara did not put an end to the insecurity of the population in Abidjan, the economic capital, and in many other parts of the country.

As a result, as of 30 June 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that close to 670,000 Ivorians remained displaced – 500,000 internally displaced and some 170,000 as refugees in neighbouring countries, mainly Liberia.

An Amnesty International delegation visited the country for two weeks in June 2011 and carried out research into crimes under international law and human rights violations and abuses committed in Abidjan and three other regions in the south and west of the country.

Serious violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, have been committed by militia groups and Liberian mercenaries loyal to Laurent Gbagbo as well as by the Republican Forces of Côte d’Ivoire (Forces républicaines de Côte d’Ivoire, FRCI) created by the new President, Alassane Ouattara on 17 March 2011.

A state-sponsored militia composed of Dozos (traditional hunters) have also committed crimes under international law and serious human rights abuses which appear to have been supported or condoned by the FRCI.

Amnesty International has documented a close relationship between the Dozos and the FRCI, including with respect to such matters as supplies, ammunition and planning operations. As such the organization considers them to have taken on the character of a militia group at this time and holds the Ivorian government accountable for the abuses Dozos have committed.

In all areas visited, Amnesty International documented crimes under international law and human rights violations and abuses, including extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, rape and other sexual violence, torture, other ill-treatment and arbitrary arrest and detention; as well as the consequences of high levels of displacement, pervasive insecurity, and intentional destruction of homes and other buildings not justified by military necessity.

It is therefore not surprising that the number of displaced people and refugees, the overwhelming number of whom belong to ethnic groups perceived as supporters of Laurent Gbagbo, remains very high. In several parts of the country, particularly in the south and west, internal displacement is closely linked to access to land. Many displaced people continue to be prevented from recovering their houses and land, either because they are afraid to return home or because other people are occupying their land. This issue is a long-standing source of conflict between communities and needs to be addressed as a priority.

This document focuses on the continuing insecurity and the ongoing displacement of people both within Côte d’Ivoire and in neighbouring countries, mainly Liberia. It does not deal with concerns related to the detention of Laurent Gbagbo and a number of his actual or perceived supporters, which were the subject of a separate recent Amnesty International report.

Some of the events covered in this report occurred as part of the non-international armed conflict that followed the contested November 2010 presidential elections; the conflict continued after the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo and ended by mid-May when some groups of pro-Gbagbo Liberian mercenaries retreated from Abidjan to Liberia. The conduct of the parties to the conflict is governed by international humanitarian law.

Serious violations of international humanitarian law described in this report constitute war crimes; other serious violations carried out as part of a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population constitute crimes against humanity.

Amnesty International recognizes the challenges for the new Ivorian government of establishing the rule of law and restoring security in a country which is flooded with weapons and where armed groups and militias have been committing gross violations and abuses, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, with impunity.

The organization is calling on President Alassane Ouattara and on his government led by Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who is also Minister of Defence, to exercise strict control over the FRCI and any forces fighting alongside them, including the Dozos. They must make clear that anyone responsible for ordering, carrying out or failing to prevent human rights violations will be held accountable for their actions, and ensure that anyone suspected of responsibility for crimes under international law is brought to justice in proceedings that conform to international fair trial standards.

The Ivorian government must work urgently with the international community to resolve the country’s continuing human rights crisis and, in particular, to move rapidly to address the rampant insecurity and grave human rights violations and abuses that fuel continued displacement.

Given that government security forces and the Dozos are currently committing crimes under international law and human rights violations, the protection role of the peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) is key. Amnesty International is calling on UNOCI to fully carry out its mandate of civilian protection, as enshrined in several resolutions of the UN Security Council.

If not addressed quickly, the very serious consequences of the recent wave of insecurity and displacement will have further repercussions during the coming years and may fuel growing discontent and unrest, undermining efforts to promote reconciliation in a country torn apart by a decade of ethnic strife and violent conflict.

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