Destruction or Occupation of Sacred Sites In most Guéré villages, there are sacred sites—specific parts of the forest, or part of a small body of water—that hold spiritual significance and are used for traditional ceremonies.136 Guéré residents in several villages claimed that non-natives were destroying or occupying this sacred land. This potentially violates their rights to free practice of religion and could become a source of inter-communal conflict. A Guéré resident of Dedjéan described the community’s anger over the destruction of their sacred sites: When the crisis arrived, we all fled to Liberia…. By the time we returned, all of our sacred forest had been destroyed, had been burned. They also destroyed our fetishes and other sacred things…. When we saw this, we felt anger in our hearts. But we also know that we’re not many [because people are still in Liberia], and there are hundreds of new Burkinabés here since the crisis. So we have let it go for the moment.137 Several residents of Petit-Guiglo told Human Rights Watch that a Malian had started planting cocoa in an area the community considers to be a sacred forest and that other non-natives had started clearing land to plant cocoa in an area considered by the local Guérés to be sacred waters.138 A Guéré resident of Diahouin said that Burkinabés there have built houses in an area that surrounds the local sacred forest and were creeping toward the village cemetery, also considered a sacred site. He said, “This threatens to provoke incidents. We have summoned them to discuss it, but they ignore the calls, they don’t come. In the past the village chief would have sent people to make them come, but after the crisis, we’re worried that will lead to a clash.”139 136 Human Rights Watch interviews with Guéré residents, western Côte d’Ivoire, February and June 2013. 137 Human Rights Watch interview with resident, Dedjéan, June 5, 2013. 138 Human Rights Watch interviews with residents, Petit-Guiglo, June 5, 2013. 139 Human Rights Watch interview with resident, Diahouin, February 13, 2013. “THAT LAND IS MY FAMILY’S WEALTH” 48