“They raped me, three or four of them. They burned my house — the house of my family — they killed my brother,” reported one refugee to Amnesty International, according to the BBC. “They stole everything from my shop and then burned it down. We fled the same day.”
Although it is just one account, many tell a similar story of individuals among the 400,000 people forced to flee to surrounding countries amid the growing clashes in the Ivory Coast, reported The New York Times.
As previously reported by The Guilfordian, President Laurent Gbagbo lost the November elections to Alassane Ouattara, but has refused to step down, resulting in several protests and violence.
On Saturday, April 2, at least 800 were reported to have been killed in Duékoué after a week of violence, according to the Guardian.
“They saw the bodies on the streets,” said International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson Kelnor Panglungtshang to CNN. “There were so many.”
Panglungtshang states both parties are responsible for the deaths. However, Ouatarra’s supporters are denying any involvement, according to CNN.
Deputy Head of the Human Rights Division of the U.N. Mission in Ivory Coast Guillaume Ngefa tells the Guardian that Ouattara’s supporters are blamed for 220 of those killed, and Gbagbo’s supporters are blamed for 110 of the deaths in Duékoué.
Human rights agencies have documented 462 deaths in addition to the 800 in Duékoué, and as the violence escalates they called on the international community to become involved, according to CNN.
“Abidjan is on the brink of a human rights catastrophe and total chaos,” said Salvatore Sagues, Amnesty International’s researcher on West Africa in a press release. “The parties to the conflict must immediately stop targeting the civilian population. The international community must take immediate steps to protect the civilian population.”
Attempts to find a peaceful solution through mediation have been ineffective.
The African Union appointed two mediators. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga was rejected by Gbagbo, according to Reuters, and former Cape Verde Foreign Minister Jose Brito was rejected by Ouattara, according to the BBC.
Presidents Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, Pedro Pires of Cape Verde, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, and Boni Yayi of Benin have also made unsuccessful attempts to mediate between Gbagbo and Ouatarra, reports the BBC.
On March 30, Ouatarra’s troops collided with Gbagbo’s forces near the presidential palace in Abidjan in an attempt to take control of the country and oust the former president, according to Reuters.
Fighting continued throughout the weekend and on Sunday, April 3, the U.N. evacuated 130 members of its civilian staff in Abidjan.
Two French nationals and at least three others were kidnapped as the fighting spread throughout the city, reports The Jerusalem Post.
On Monday, April 4, France agreed to assist the U.N. peacekeepers’ operation to destroy Gbagbo’s weapons, according to AP.
Two U.N. helicopters attacked two of Gbagbo’s military bases and French forces targeted heavily armed areas near the presidential palace and other Gbagbo-controlled areas of the city, according to The Washington Post.
U.N. officials told The Washington Post the use of force was necessary due to those loyal to Gbagbo firing on civilians and U.N. peacekeepers.
The U.N. and French forces destroyed rocket-propelled grenade launchers, armored vehicles, heavy weapons depots, and television transmitters, according to Reuters.
Bodies lined the street leading into Abidjan. Twelve corpses with bullet wounds to the head were piled on a road bank, and further down the corpses of other soldiers lay in the middle of the street, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, April 5, Gbagbo and his family retreated to an underground bunker at his home as Ouattara’s troops surrounded the house, according to the BBC.
Gbagbo’s military chief, General Philippe Mangou, ordered a cease fire, according to Reuters. Three top ranking Gbagbo officials agreed to stop fighting and are seeking the protection of the U.N., reports The Washington Post.
By midday Tuesday, April 5, fighting stopped as U.N. peacekeepers protected and disarmed Gbagbo ‘s soldiers, according to Reuters.
Gbagbo began negotiating his surrender to U.N. officials from his bunker, according to Reuters.
The Washington Post reports that the U.N. has requested Gbagbo sign a document agreeing to cede his power as part of the terms of his departure from Ivory Coast.