IVORYCOAST: INHUMANE TREATMENT OF OPPOSITION LEADERS BY OUATTARA REGIME

More than 200 people including leaders of the main opposition party ( FPI ) have faced illegal detention and torture with many still languishing behind bars, Amnesty International can reveal after members of the organisation returned from a month-long mission to IvoryCoast.

“We were able to meet dozens of detainees who told us how they have been tortured by electricity or had molten plastic poured on their bodies, two of them have been sexually abused. Some have been held for many months and denied contact with their families and access to lawyers” said Gaëtan Mootoo, Amnesty International researcher on West Africa

DETAINED FOR 78 DAYS WITHOUT BEING CHARGED

IVORYCOAST (ABIDAJN): The former representative of the Plateau district (Abidjan) and member of the main opposition party (FPI), Mady Bouabré is languishing since Monday, August 6, 2012 in a hospice for the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (Dst) based in Abidjan-Cocody. This is exactly 2 months and 17 days since this  representative has been detained by president Ouattara regime without being formally charged. Visits from his lawyer and his family are forbidden and according to police sources, his health is deteriorating given the inhumane conditions of his detention. According to a police source, "Ouattara 's regime has no evidence." against the former representative Mady Bouabre. But he has been held illegally by Ouattara's regime. Indeed, it was Ouattara's zealous Minister of interior Hamed Bakayoko who ordered the arrest and detention of Mady Bouabré, Monday, August 6, whereas the former representative was returning from the  Ivorian-Ghanaian border where he accompanied his wife, Bouabré Ehivet Victoire, younger sister of the former First Lady, Simone Gbagbo. According to eyewitness accounts, on the way back, after leaving his family in Ghanaian territory, Mady Bouabré was recognized by president Ouattara Customs as a former representative of the main oposition party ( FPI). He was arrested and taken to the police station. Once there, he was questioned by the police officer on duty who let him go after realizing Mady Bouabre was not the subject of any arrest warrant issued by Ouattara regime. Continuing his journey back towards Abidjan, the former representative of the Plateau district was again arrested in the town of Assouba by an armed pro-Ouattara militia (FRCI). The pro-Ouattara forces took him back to the Ivorian-Ghanaian border where he came from and alerted Ouattara's zealous minister of interior who ordered that Mady Bouabre be arrested.
Ouattara's regime, in a rare attempt of silencing the opposition, has arrested more oppostion leaders and sympathizers since Mady Bouabre was arrested on August 6, 2012. Opposition newspapers and offices have also been vandalized by Ouattara's armed militia groups drawing criticism from human rights groups and several NGOs operating in IvoryCoast.
Mady Bouabre has been detained for 78 days without being charged; his family has not seen him since he was detained and he is not allowed an attorney visit.

Koenders: "I do not agree with the way Ouattara is leading IvoryCoast"

Koenders: "I do not agree with the way Ouattara is leading IvoryCoast"

UN representative for the UN peace mission in IvoryCoast(UNOCI), Koenders, resolves to understand that there is not yet a "fair trial". "When you want reconciliation, everyone must answer for his actions in court. It should not have double standards. But the problem also is that there is a lack of clarity between justice and réconciliation. I am also against waves of arrests of opposition leaders and sympathizers here and there by president Ouattara government . It is not good that the government always blames the supporters of the former regime , when there are attacks against the government armed militias (FRCI), "denounced the head of UNOCI. "It is not acceptable, that we have prisoners in IvoryCoast because of their political views. But we find that FPI is the largest party of the opposition, which is why we multiply contacts with the party "recognizes Koenders. I totally disagree with the way in which IvoryCoast is run by president Allassane Ouattara.

QUE DISENT MAINTENANT LES EXPERTS ONUSIENS?

EST QU'IL EST IVOIRIEN CE PAUL KOFFI KOFFI?

Ce qui, plus que des infiltrations, tend à montrer qu’Alassane Ouattara n’est pas face à des inconnus. Sur le mobile des attaques, les informations avancent d’abord la situation « frustrante » des mercenaires enrôlés pour combattre le président Gbagbo et qui, abandonnés à eux-mêmes, continuent d’attendre, sans espoir, les 5 millions fcfa de prime promis à chacun, alors que selon La Lettre du Continent, 42 de ces mercenaires burkinabè devraient recevoir 7 millions fcfa chacun. Ensuite, il y a tous ces prisonniers libérés et armés par le camp Ouattara, ainsi que de nombreux infiltrés dans les rangs des dozos pour « combattre pour la cause » et qui, à la fin, ont été remerciés de façon cavalière. Enfin, qu’on le veuille ou non, il y a tous ces soldats, gendarmes, policiers et autres corps habillés issus de l’armée régulière du pays (ex-Fanci, ex-Fds) qui, bien que non en exil, ont perdu qui leurs emplois, qui leurs postes depuis qu’Alassane Ouattara a pris le pouvoir. « Nous, on ne se bat pas pour le Fpi et ses cadres mais pour nous-mêmes. On ne se bat pas pour la politique. Ouattara et ces gars se foutent de nous. Ils se foutent de tous les Ivoiriens. Ils ont trompé tout le monde, à commencer par ceux d’entre nous qui étions dans son combat. Ils vont voir, ça ne fait que commencer », nous avait confié, au téléphone, un individu qui a requis l’anonymat mais qui revendiquait mordicus son appartenance au groupe des assaillants, « le Commando choco », selon ses propres termes. C’était après les attaques à Dabou et Jacqueville. Mais pourquoi continuer ces attaques quand, après coup, ce sont les cadres et militants du Fpi qui paient les pots cassés face au régime totalitaire et affolé de Ouattara ? Réponse de notre interlocuteur anonyme : «Quand Ouattara va tomber, tous les Ivoiriens vont respirer, y compris le Fpi ! Ok, c’est bon. On a trop parlé », a-t-il tranché en raccrochant. « Effectivement, au niveau de ces hommes (qui ont attaqué Azito, Ndlr), il y avait de vrais militaires. C’est cela le drame qu’il faut indiquer, à savoir qu’il y a des infiltrations et des implications », a reconnu, lundi soir, sur le plateau du journal télévisé, le ministre délégué à la Défense, Paul Koffi Koffi. Aucun doute n’est donc permis.

C'EST L'ETAT DE DROIT DONT PARLAIT LE ROI D'ABIDJAN

IVORYCOAST: UN DENOUNCED IMPUNITY FROM OUATTARA REGIME

Doudou Diene, the UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in IVORYCOAST, is not happy about president Ouattara's regime. He lamented, Friday, October 12, 2012, during a press conference in Abidjan, that the deadliest attack of the refugees camp in Duékoué in July 2012 by president Ouattara's armed militias in which 137 civilians were massacred , remained unpunished by Ouattara's government.
The UN envoy call to end impunity in IVORYCOAST by Ouattara's regime after the crisis of 2010-2011. "Nobody has been arrested among those who perpetrated the attack on the refugee camp," denounced Doudou Diene last friday in a press conference in Abidjan.
  Responsible for reporting on his mission to the Council of Human Rights of the UN, Doudou Diene urged an end to "a culture of impunity from president Ouattara's government." He believed that justice should pursue "all those who have committed crimes" during the last crisis, "regardless of their political leanings."
Three commanders of presdient Ouattara's armed militias who are cited by Human rights groups for committing the worst human rights violations on civilians , received military promotions two weeks ago by president Allassane Ouattara, which some UN experts criticized as mocking abused victims.
Talking about the recent closing of the opposition newspapers and the vandalism of their offices by Ouattara's armed militias, the UN independent expert insisted that "the right to information is a cornerstone of democratic reconstruction."

IVORYCOAST: OUATTARA REWARDS MILLIONS TO HIS MERCENARIES

About forty two mercenaries from neighboring Burkina faso hired by armed  pro-Ouattara militias in 2011 to help overthrow President Gbagbo from power and install Alassane Ouattara will be paid about three hundred thousands dollars as a rewards by president Ouattara's government . According to La Lettre du Continent (French news agency) dated October 11, 2012, Ouattara's regime has decided to reward each mercenary from Burkina Faso , for his role in the overthrow of the then-elected president Gbagbo, about fourteen thousands dollars. This makes a total of 294 million FCFA ( $ 600,000 ) that president Alassane Dramane Ouattara will give people who are accused by various ONG and Human Rights Violations groups of massacre and extrajudicial executions of civilians. This revelation of La Lettre du Continent joined one made earlier by Burkina Faso weekly, Reporter, No. 93, May 1, 2012, which made public the ongoing negociation between Ouattara's government and these mercenaries from Burkina Faso. Ouattara regime will therefore reward killers when people from IvoryCoast mired in misery, insecurity, soaring food prices, and famine threatening ...

IVORYCOAST: INHUMANE TREATMENT OF POLITICAL OPPONENTS

SAN PEDRO, Ivory Coast (AP) — The soldiers lined up the detainees in a row on the grass in the middle of the night and beat them with sticks. Other times, soldiers struck the prisoners with belts and rifles so hard the welts lasted for weeks.

Cedric Bao, a 33-year-old who was held for two weeks in August on suspicion of hiding weapons, said soldiers also attached wires to detainees and administered electrical shocks as they writhed on the ground.

"When that happened, the wires would produce a lot of noise, and the lights would flicker, and it would smell like burning. We could hear the people shouting," Bao said. "I was always praying to God not to be brought downstairs."

Ivory Coast's military has launched a widespread campaign of arrests and detentions, charge former detainees and human rights groups. Scores of Ivorians like Bao are being rounded up on allegations of involvement in recent attacks on the military or of otherwise attempting to undermine state security.

The country's U.N. mission said in mid-August that 100 arrests of those suspected of the attacks had been documented. A U.N. official, who is not authorized to speak for the mission, said this week that that number had more than doubled.

While torture allegations have been documented at multiple military facilities, the U.N. officials said that some of the worst came from detainees at the San Pedro camp, including credible reports of electrical shocks.

Few detainees in the city had spoken up about their experiences at the camp because of threats they received before being released, said Serges Dagbo, San Pedro representative for the Ivorian Human Rights League.

But in recent interviews with The Associated Press, four former detainees described harsh conditions marked by cramped quarters, minimal food and the frequent use of violence to extract confessions.

Like other detainees, 40-year-old Plika Sokouli said he was never told exactly why he was arrested in late August at the stand where he sells pineapples and homemade liquor.

But he said the threat of violence was apparent as soon as he arrived at the camp.

"When I got there a guard took a pistol and put it in my mouth and told me to speak," he said. "I said I knew nothing."

Christian Hino, a 34-year-old former gas station attendant who is currently jobless, said eight detainees were handcuffed before being subjected to one-on-one torture sessions, which lasted up to 25 minutes.
Of those, he said, four were laid down on the grass outside the camp's main building, and long wires were attached to their feet, midsections and necks before electrical shocks were administered.
"At around 4 a.m., a policeman who was arrested became unconscious from the electrocution," Hino said. "I was really afraid. He was not reacting. People were wondering if he was dead."

The camp's top official, Capt. Sekou Bema Ouattara, denied allegations of physical abuse, and claimed prisoners had never been held there for longer than a day or so.

Still, he defended the military's campaign to root out enemies of the state among the local population.

"It's because of our determination and work that San Pedro has not been attacked," he said.

Lt. Aboubakar Traore, the camp's second-in-command, also denied that physical abuse occurred at the camp. But he said soldiers may have resorted to torture while commanders were away.
"I don't want to say that we are perfect," he said. "I'm not sleeping here. I don't know exactly what the soldiers do when I'm sleeping."

But a guard at the facility, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said prisoners were routinely held there for multiple days for investigation. He also said beatings were commonplace, claiming they occurred when commanders were gone.

Asked whether the beatings were severe, he laughed and said: "There's no two ways of beating someone. We beat them severely so they can remember."

Abuse allegations in San Pedro should be investigated immediately, said Matt Wells, West Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch.

"The nature and pattern of the detainee mistreatment would indicate that, at a minimum, the camp's commanders should have been aware of such abuses and taken steps to prevent them and to punish soldiers involved," he said. "Ivorian authorities should investigate immediately and ensure that anyone responsible is brought to justice."

Meanwhile, there are concerns that the torture in San Pedro could soon worsen.

The government confirmed this week that Ousmane Coulibaly said Bin Laden, a former zone commander in the New Forces rebel group, which controlled northern Ivory Coast from 2002 to 2010, had been appointed prefect of the San Pedro region.

Ousmane Coulibaly a worshiper of Bin Laden has been implicated by Human Rights Watch in grave crimes during the post-election crisis, including torture and extrajudicial killings in Abidjan's Yopougon district.

Wells said the appointment "mocks the victims of these abuses and the government's promise to deliver impartial justice."

As they wait for Coulibaly to be installed in his new position, the former detainees in San Pedro question whether the abuse they and others have endured has made the city any safer.

"For me, I don't believe in the confessions they received," Bao said, "because these confessions were made under torture."

IVORYCOAST: TO PAY THE SALARIES OF THE POLICE AND MILITARY, PRESIDENT OUATTARA DEMANDS SOLDIERS' RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: NO KIDDING

Certainly, we've seen everything under the us-educated muslim president Allassane Ouattara. According to military sources, until yesterday, Sunday, September 30, 2012, the police and the military had not yet received their salaries for the month. To be paid and in addition, by hand, the Ouattara government asks them a number of conditions. While Côte d'Ivoire is a secular country, Ouattara regime now wants to know the religion of each police man and soldier before they can get paid. Since last Friday, September 28, they each received information sheets they must complete and must file no later than October 7, otherwise they will not be paid. This document from the Department of Defense, according to our sources, each cop or soldier must indicate their religion. Ouattara who is a muslim has long suspected christians of destabilizing his regime. Many christians including opposition leaders and sympathisers are daily jailed or taken to president Ouattara concentrations and detention centers for unlimited length of time.