At least 800 people were killed Tuesday, March 29 at Duekoue, in western Côte d'Ivoire, said Friday the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement. According to information gathered on site and quoted by a spokesman for the organization in Geneva, "there are indications that this is sectarian violence." ICRC delegates visited Duékoué March 31 and April 1.
They "saw themselves a very large number of bodies," said the spokesman. For now, 28 bodies have been evacuated to the local morgue, but the operation should continue in the coming days. "This event is particularly shocking in its scale and brutality," has alarmed the head of the ICRC delegation in Côte d'Ivoire, Dominica Liengme.
The Red Cross condemned "direct attacks on civilians and reiterates the obligation of parties to conflict to ensure in all circumstances the protection of populations in the territory they control," she added. Important strategic crossroads of the West, is controlled Duekoue since Tuesday by the forces of Ivorian President recognized by the international community Alassane Ouattara, after two days of fighting with the soldiers and militiamen loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.
The UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), for his part spoke Saturday on figure of 330 people killed earlier this week in Duekoue, "most" by elements of the forces of Alassane Ouattara. "On 330 deaths, most were executed by the 'dozos [traditional hunters] FRCI of "Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, pro-Ouattara, said William N'Gefa, deputy chief of the division of human rights, man of UNOCI, citing "preliminary reports".
Over 100 people were victims of fighters of Laurent Gbagbo as UNOCI. If according to UNOCI, these victims are "militiamen and civilians, including women and children", the camp Ouattara reacted Saturday to the information arguing that the victims were only militia, not civilians. "The militias are not civilians.
From the moment they are armed, they are considered combatants. We must avoid any confusion," responded the spokesman of the military FRCI, Seydou Ouattara. The government Ouattara denied "any involvement of Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FRCI, pro-Ouattara) in possible abuses." He also said he too had discovered mass graves "in western countries, including Toulépleu, Bloléquin and Guiglo, whose authors are none other than the loyal forces, mercenaries and militia of Laurent Gbagbo." In the past, the Gbagbo camp also accused his rivals of committing numerous atrocities against civilians.
These would be killings among the most serious since a decade of political and military crisis. According to ICRC, "tens of thousands of men, women and children" who fled the violence and looting. By Friday morning, the UN humanitarian agencies said they were particularly worried about the fate of tens of thousands who sought refuge at the Catholic mission in the city.
"A priest of the [mission] the majority of IDPs have not eaten for two days and some 80,000 food rations are urgently needed as well as kitchen utensils," said a spokesman for the Organization International Organization for Migration (IOM), Jemini Pandya. According to the religious, there is also an urgent need to remove the bodies that are lying in the streets of the city and near the mission.
The mission needs of medical equipment to treat the wounded, including women affected by stray bullets. The IOM says that thousands of displaced who have fled in recent days Duékoué towards Guiglo currently located "along the road, fearing for their lives." 
They "saw themselves a very large number of bodies," said the spokesman. For now, 28 bodies have been evacuated to the local morgue, but the operation should continue in the coming days. "This event is particularly shocking in its scale and brutality," has alarmed the head of the ICRC delegation in Côte d'Ivoire, Dominica Liengme.
The Red Cross condemned "direct attacks on civilians and reiterates the obligation of parties to conflict to ensure in all circumstances the protection of populations in the territory they control," she added. Important strategic crossroads of the West, is controlled Duekoue since Tuesday by the forces of Ivorian President recognized by the international community Alassane Ouattara, after two days of fighting with the soldiers and militiamen loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.
The UN Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), for his part spoke Saturday on figure of 330 people killed earlier this week in Duekoue, "most" by elements of the forces of Alassane Ouattara. "On 330 deaths, most were executed by the 'dozos [traditional hunters] FRCI of "Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, pro-Ouattara, said William N'Gefa, deputy chief of the division of human rights, man of UNOCI, citing "preliminary reports".
Over 100 people were victims of fighters of Laurent Gbagbo as UNOCI. If according to UNOCI, these victims are "militiamen and civilians, including women and children", the camp Ouattara reacted Saturday to the information arguing that the victims were only militia, not civilians. "The militias are not civilians.
From the moment they are armed, they are considered combatants. We must avoid any confusion," responded the spokesman of the military FRCI, Seydou Ouattara. The government Ouattara denied "any involvement of Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FRCI, pro-Ouattara) in possible abuses." He also said he too had discovered mass graves "in western countries, including Toulépleu, Bloléquin and Guiglo, whose authors are none other than the loyal forces, mercenaries and militia of Laurent Gbagbo." In the past, the Gbagbo camp also accused his rivals of committing numerous atrocities against civilians.
These would be killings among the most serious since a decade of political and military crisis. According to ICRC, "tens of thousands of men, women and children" who fled the violence and looting. By Friday morning, the UN humanitarian agencies said they were particularly worried about the fate of tens of thousands who sought refuge at the Catholic mission in the city.
"A priest of the [mission] the majority of IDPs have not eaten for two days and some 80,000 food rations are urgently needed as well as kitchen utensils," said a spokesman for the Organization International Organization for Migration (IOM), Jemini Pandya. According to the religious, there is also an urgent need to remove the bodies that are lying in the streets of the city and near the mission.
The mission needs of medical equipment to treat the wounded, including women affected by stray bullets. The IOM says that thousands of displaced who have fled in recent days Duékoué towards Guiglo currently located "along the road, fearing for their lives."
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- Ivory Coast massacre: Red Cross reports Ivory Coast massacre in town of Duekoue - latimes.com (03/04/2011)
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- 800 dead in Ivory Coast violence around Duekoue city, says Red Cross (02/04/2011)
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