Ivory Coast: opening of the first trial of the Duékoué massacre
Nahibly camp, Duékoué, July 20, 2012. REUTERS / Stringer
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
It was ten years ago, almost to the day.
While Côte d'Ivoire is plunged into a violent post-election crisis, on March 29, 2011, pro-Ouattara militias took Duékoué, in the west of the country.
The city is the scene of a massacre which leaves more than 800 dead according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Since Wednesday March 24, a man has been tried by the Abidjan criminal court.
Amadé Ouéréni, a former bandit and trafficker in the western mountains, is said to have lent a hand to the ex-rebels during the conquest of this region in 2011. Arrested in 2013, he is accused of being one of the architects of this massacre by Duékoué.
He appears alone.
The trial is due to continue this Thursday, March 25.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan,
Pierre Pinto
He is a puny man, tap dancing and wearing a threadbare polo shirt who appears before the judge this Wednesday, March 24.
Amadé Ouérémi listens to the charges.
There are about twenty of them, from "genocide" to "war crimes" including "assassination", "rape", "attack" or "extortion" ...
Then, for two hours, the clerk reads a long litany of testimonies describing the savagery of
this violence at the end of March 2011
: the summary executions of men, old people and boys, women and girls raped, houses looted and set on fire. .. Amadé Ouérémi is suspected of having taken an active part in these killings with his men.
" It's the war !
"
Then begins the questioning of the president.
Amadé Ouérémi tries to explain that he was under the orders of a rebel leader, Lieutenant Coulibaly, nicknamed Coul.
However, he denies having participated in the massacres.
“
I was in the village of Blodi.
I loaded the ammunition.
I did not arrive until the day after Duékoué's liberation, at 4 pm,
”he says in difficult French.
During all the debates, Amadé Ouérémi is placed in small hand, without a man under his orders.
However, he defends the operation against the Carrefour district, which according to him targeted pro-Gbagbo militiamen.
“
But who killed these 817 people in one day?
“, Regularly insists the president.
“
It's war!
»Answers the accused for the first time, who later also designates the dozo hunters.
About ten witnesses traveled to Duékoué for this trial.
They will wait until Thursday.
The hearing is suspended.
► Also to listen: Ivory Coast: in Duékoué, “martyr city”, neither forgetting nor forgiveness
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