Ivory Coast: U.N. rights chief, Navi Pillay, cites night abductions
Navi Pillay, the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Sunday that the situation in Ivory Coast has taken a turn for the worst, with more than 50 people killed in post-election violence and pro-government armed militias abducting civilians from their homes at night. The escalating violence in Ivory Coast, a former French colony that ...
Navi Pillay, the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Sunday that the situation in Ivory Coast has taken a turn for the worst, with more than 50 people killed in post-election violence and pro-government armed militias abducting civilians from their homes at night.
Navi Pillay, the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Sunday that the situation in Ivory Coast has taken a turn for the worst, with more than 50 people killed in post-election violence and pro-government armed militias abducting civilians from their homes at night.
The escalating violence in Ivory Coast, a former French colony that once served as a symbol of stability in West Africa, came after a disputed presidential election in which both candidates have declared victory.
The United Nations, the United States, and most African countries in the region maintain that opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara,won the election. But the country’s long-time leader, Laurent Gbagbo, has refused to step down, and has demanded that more than 9,500 U.N. peacekeepers deployed in the country get out, a demand that the U.N.leadership has ignored.
Pillay "expressed deep concern Sunday about the growing evidence of massive violations of human rights," in Ivory Coast, and said that perpetrators must be held accountable for crimes.
The U.N. mission in Ivory Coast, she noted, "has received reports from hundreds of victims and members of their families about the abduction of individuals from their homes, especially at night, by unidentified armed individuals in military uniform accompanied by elements of the Defence and Security Forces or militia groups." Some have turned up dead.
"I call upon all parties concerned to respect the human rights of all Ivorians, without discrimination," Pillay said. "UN human rights officers in Cote d’Ivoire are on the alert and will continue to closely monitor the situation across the country."
Follow me on Twitter @columlynch
Colum Lynch was a staff writer at Foreign Policy between 2010 and 2022. Twitter: @columlynch
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