August 2003
Vol. 15, No. 14 (A)
CÔTE D’IVOIRE
TRAPPED BETWEEN TWO WARS:
Violence Against Civilians in Western Côte d’Ivoire
ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................................. i
MAP OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE ...................................................................................................................................... ii
MAP OF WESTERN CÔTE D’IVOIRE ................................................................................................................. iii
I. SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................................................1
II. RECOMMENDATIONS......................................................................................................................................3
To the Government of Côte d’Ivoire: .....................................................................................................................3
To the “New Forces” (the MPCI, MJP and MPIGO rebel groups):.......................................................................3
To the United Nations Security Council: ...............................................................................................................4
To France and ECOWAS: ......................................................................................................................................5
To the United States, France, the European Union and other international donors: ..............................................5
III. BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................................................6
Economic recession and immigration.....................................................................................................................6
Ivoirité: ethnic discrimination for political gain.....................................................................................................7
The presidential and parliamentary elections of 2000............................................................................................8
September 2002: from army “mutiny” to civil war ................................................................................................9
The war moves west: November 28, 2002 ...........................................................................................................11
IV. THE “WAR IN THE MOUTH”: THE ROLE OF POLITICAL RHETORIC AND THE MEDIA .................12
The role of the Ivorian media ...............................................................................................................................12
Political discourse: before and after September 19, 2002 ....................................................................................13
V. ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND OTHER NON-COMBATANTS BY GOVERNMENT FORCES ............14
Summary executions of civilians..........................................................................................................................15
The “cleaning” of Daloa: October 15-20, 2002................................................................................................15
The massacre at Monoko-Zohi: November 28, 2002 .......................................................................................17
Government forces recapture Man: December 1-18, 2002 ..............................................................................18
Summary executions by government forces in other locations in the west......................................................20
Indiscriminate and targeted helicopter attacks .....................................................................................................20
Indiscriminate helicopter attacks on the Vavoua and Pélézi area: December 2002 .........................................20
Targeted helicopter attacks on the Zouan-Hounien area: April 2003...............................................................22
Arbitrary arrests and detentions............................................................................................................................23
Treatment of wounded and captured rebels..........................................................................................................24
VI. ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND OTHER NON-COMBATANTS BY
THE IVORIAN REBEL GROUPS .........................................................................................................................24
Abuses in MPCI-controlled territory....................................................................................................................24
Abuses by all three rebel groups in the west ........................................................................................................25