officials in western Côte d’Ivoire, inclusive land committees appear far better equipped to adjudicate claims of land dispossession. A sub-prefect told Human Rights Watch that, even before the crisis, there was a “crisis of confidence” in village chiefs, in part because people no longer saw them as impartial.193 The sub-prefect said this was particularly true among non-native populations, causing discord when land disputes involved natives and non-natives.194 Burkinabés in several villages said that they watched as village chiefs became increasingly politicized between 2002 and 2010, consistently ruling in ways that disfavored non-natives and supporting local pro-Gbagbo militia groups that terrorized immigrant populations.195 Some villages have attempted to address intra- and inter-communal distrust by including representatives from immigrant, migrant Ivorian, women, and youth populations on their village land committees. In several such villages, there appeared to be fewer land conflicts related to displacement and better ability to resolve such conflicts at the village level. The chief of a village between Duékoué and Bagohouo explained why his community had resolved most land disputes linked to the crisis, while other villages struggled: We were afraid when we returned after Nahibly and found non-natives occupying our land. We didn’t have access to our forests. So we created a committee that was composed of natives, non-native Ivorians, and immigrants. They’re also involved in the village chieftaincy. And we started addressing the issues, and the non-natives helped us get our land back…. Each village deals with these problems differently. There are some villages that push aside the non-natives. Then the non-natives get angry, they don’t accept the decision. It’s not like that here. Everything we decide, we decide together. It’s when groups are pushed to the side that problems start.196 An elder from a village near Bloléquin that likewise had fewer land problems associated with the post-election crisis said: 193 Human Rights Watch interview with sub-prefect, western Côte d’Ivoire, February 2013. 194 Ibid. 195 Human Rights Watch interviews with Burkinabé residents and community leaders, western Côte d’Ivoire, February and June 2013. 196 Human Rights Watch interview with village chief, Bagohouo department, February 6, 2013. “THAT LAND IS MY FAMILY’S WEALTH” 66