Rights body calls on government to investigate abuses

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the government of Cote d'Ivoire to immediately disband civilian militias, set up an international commission of inquiry investigate human rights abuses committed in the civil war and bring the perpetrators to justice. The New York-based human rights organisation said abuses had been committed by the government security forces, rebels occupying the north of the country and Liberian mercenaries fighting for both sides in the 11-month old conflict. Its 55-paged report, "Trapped between two wars: Violence against civilians in western Cote d'Ivoire", was released on Tuesday as parliament in Abidjan debated a draft amnesty law for combatants on both sides in the conflict. The HRW report documents numerous massacres of civilians following a September 2002 army mutiny, particularly in the west of Cote d'Ivoire, where poorly disiciplined militias and Liberian mercenaries were used by both sides. Although fighting in rest of the country petered out in March, security remains poor in the "Wild West" near the Liberian border, despite a heavy presence of French and West African peacekeeping forces in the area. HRW accused both the government and rebels of summary executions, sexual violence against women and girls and the looting of civilian property. "Civilian militias are a perilous legacy of the war and they are still active in parts of the west," Peter Takirambudde, executive director of HRW's Africa Division said. "Disarming and making them accountable should be a top priority for the government of reconciliation," he added. The report cites one incident where Liberian fighters backed by the Ivorian government forces killed more than 60 civilians in Bangolo, a town on the front line 400 km northwest of Abidjan, in early March. All the victims were from ethnic groups from the north of Cote d'Ivoire perceived to be supporting the Ivorian rebels, it said, explaining that some were short at close range with their hands tied together. HRW said less than two weeks later, rebel forces launched a counter-attack in the nearby village of Dah, killing more than 40 civilians. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that some were burned alive in their homes. HRW said there was a pattern of collaboration between the Ivorian security forces and local militias, which sometimes led to which civilians from Burkina Faso being shot dead in broad daylight in the middle of western towns such as Duekoue. The organisation said the abuses were rooted in ethnic discrimination and a climate of impunity dating from the controversial presidential and parliamentary elections of 2000, during which several hundred people were killed or injured by the security forces and civilian collaborators. "Unless there is a real commitment to ensure accountability for abuses by all sides going back to elections in October 2000 as well as during the recent conflict, it is difficult to see how this very polarised society can be reunited," Takirambudde added. Former prime minister Alassane Ouattara was banned from standing as a presidential candidate in that election after the authorities ruled that he was Burkinabe rather than Ivorian. The civil war erupted on 19 September when armed men staged an unsuccessful attack on the headquarters of the paramilitary gendarmerie in the commercial capital, Abidjan, while others siezed key towns in the interior such as Bouake and Korhogo. A French-broked peace agreement in January led to the formation of a government of national reconciliation, including nine rebel ministers, in March. The Ivorian parliament is this week debating on a draft amnesty law, which has already been approved by President Laurent Gbagbo and the cabinet of independent prime minister Seydou Diarra to pave the way for the rebels to disarm and demobilise. The law covers all civilians and military personnel who sought to overthrow the government after the controversial presidential elections of September 2000. However, it specifically excludes economic crimes, violations of the international humanitarian law and "serious violations" of human rights. The exact definition of "serious violations" has not yet been clearly defined, but government officials have said it is designed to cover crimes such as rape and murder which had nothing to do with the fighting. The amnesty is mainly designed to cover acts of desertion and military rebellion, paving the way for soldiers and policemen who joined the rebels to be reintegrated into the security forces.