send an order to the gendarmerie. But still nothing has changed. They are clearing away my forest. If tomorrow my forest is all gone, what will happen to my family? What will happen to future generations? We don’t understand why the sub-prefect doesn’t follow through with his decisions.238 Human Rights Watch did not establish whether the sub-prefect had in fact sent an order to the gendarmerie, so it is unclear whether the failure to stop work rested primarily with the sub-prefect or with the gendarmerie. Several people from Zomplou involved in land disputes likewise said that the Doké subprefect had ordered people in April 2013 to stop clearing land or planting rubber trees or cocoa until he ruled on the ownership of a contested area of land. Despite the subprefect’s statements, Zomplou residents said the Burkinabé buyers continue their work on dozens of hectares of contested land.239 The failure to enforce this decision is particularly surprising because the land dispute has already led to a February clash between Guéré youth from Zomplou and Babli-Vaya, as described above.240 While many Guérés dispossessed during the crisis expressed respect for their subprefect’s neutrality in land disputes, they voiced frustration that, at times, there was no follow through to enforce the decisions. One alleged victim said: “The sub-prefect makes a ruling for us, yet we still can’t get our land back… We start to question whether the authorities are complicit. While we’re waiting, the Burkinabés are cutting down and planting on our land.”241 The failure of local authorities to enforce decisions risks people or groups engaging in violence to dislodge occupants. The risk of violence as a result of unenforced decisions is particularly high where, as described above, the occupants are permanently changing land by cutting down virgin forest, pulling up old crops, and planting new cash crops. Throughout western Côte d’Ivoire, customary and local authorities told Human Rights Watch that, when someone invests in the land, even if he bought it from an illegal seller, they preferred to create a relationship between the illegal buyer and the true landowner—allowing the illegal buyer 238 Human Rights Watch interview with alleged victim of land dispossession by illegal sale, Pohan-Badoubly, June 3, 2013. 239 Human Rights Watch interviews with alleged victims of land dispossession by illegal sales, Zomplou, June 3, 2013. 240 Human Rights Watch interviews with alleged victims of land dispossession by illegal sales, Zomplou, February 11, 2013. 241 Human Rights Watch interview with alleged victim of land dispossession by illegal sale, Pohan-Badoubly, February 11, 2013. 79 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | OCTOBER 2013