Ivory Coast – Hundreds of dead around the Salesian mission

[1holycatholic]

Ivory Coast – Hundreds of dead around the Salesian mission(ANS – Duékoué) – A massacre of civilians took place between 27 and 29 March in the area around the “Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus” mission, coinciding with the advance of the troops faithful to Alassane Ouattara, the President recognised by the international community. In spite of varying estimates, all the sources on the ground are reporting “hundreds of victims.”

There has been a massacre but as yet no one knows the extent of the tragedy. According to “Caritas” and reported in the daily paper “Herald Scotland” the battle for the city of Duékoué left about 1000 dead on the battle field. On Tuesday 29 March alone, the International Red Cross reports there were 800 dead killed by gun-shots or machetes, and on Saturday 2 April, with a multi-religious ceremony there was the funeral of hundreds of people.
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[Barbkw]

Not one word on the news about these massacres.

 

[Dale_M]

The UN has just launched an investigation, and Ouattara has promised to cooperate. I suspect there will be other investigations by international aid organizations as well. The massacre appears to be a settling of scores between ethnic groups competing for the same land.

According to reports by the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies at least 800 people were killed in the Duékoué fighting. While details are sketchy, most victims appear to have been from the local Guéré community, traditionally Gbagbo supporters.

Some Duékoué residents contacted by IRIN blamed the killings on farmers living in encampments outside Duékoué - on land they have worked for decades - whom the Guéré have sought to oust since Gbagbo’s arrival in power.

Gbagbo sought to annul land leases to Burkinabé, Baoulé and other groups working the coffee and cocoa plantations, in favour of previous Guéré owners and their descendants. “These killings were a settling of scores,” one Guéré man said. “People came and killed the [mainly Wobé and Guéré] landowners.” Residents said people came to the town after the FRCI, armed primarily with hunting rifles and machetes.

irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=92372