Ivory Coast: violence in the center-east kills a dozen
M'Batto, Daoukro and Elibou have been the scene of deadly violence over the past 48 hours.
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Since Monday, November 9, at least a dozen people have been killed and dozens more injured in several localities in central-eastern Côte d'Ivoire.
More than fifty people have lost their lives since the beginning of August in political violence which, more and more, takes a community turn.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan,
Pierre Pinto
This Tuesday, in Mbatto, in Moronou, the inhabitants mostly stayed in their homes, hoping that the shooting of hunting rifles would calm down.
The day before, the city was set ablaze.
A demonstration against Alassane Ouattara's third term degenerated into clashes between Agni and Malinke communities.
These clashes, unprecedented in this city of some 30,000 souls, left at least three dead and 26 injured, several seriously.
To this provisional assessment is added that of Daoukro.
The stronghold of Henri Konan Bédié was still crossed this Tuesday by the violent convulsions of the day before.
“
There are barricades everywhere.
There is no life.
It's a dead city
, ”said a witness.
The gendarmerie and police forces are trying as best they can to prevent the conflagration that the city experienced on Monday.
According to the prefecture, at least six people were killed yesterday in Daoukro.
Among them, one was beheaded and another burned.
Dozens of injured are also to be deplored.
Again Monday, the locality of Elibou, north-west of Abidjan, experienced violence which left three dead.
Protests and tensions were also reported in Yamoussoukro, but no deaths were reported.
Exodus
These tensions often start with demonstrations that turn into a community confrontation between natives and non-natives.
This violence began in early August after the announcement of President Alassane Ouattara's candidacy for a third term, and saw a resurgence in parts of the interior of the country with the election on October 31.
A sign of the growing concern of the populations, this political and community violence has caused the exodus of 8,000 Ivorians, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, against 3,200 a week ago.
Still according to the UNHCR, they are 7,500 in Liberia and 500 in Ghana, Guinea and even Togo.
On Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged all parties to "
moderate the hateful rhetoric and strive to find common solutions, with full respect for the rule of law and rights, through an inclusive and constructive dialogue
”.
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Ivory Coast