Killings threaten to undermine Ouattara

, a discovery that threatened to undermine presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara as he seeks to take control of the country.
Ouattara’s rival, Laurent Gbagbo, meanwhile, was left isolated behind a military cordon in the bunker where he has sought refuge after a concerted assault by Ouattara’s troops earlier this week.
Ouattara appears for now to have decided to isolate Gbagbo in his Abidjan residence, rather than press ahead with attempts to drive him out by military force, and concentrate instead on efforts to restore normal life after weeks of fighting.
But Ouattara’s ability to unify the West African state may be undermined by reports of atrocities since his forces – a collection of former rebels from the north – swept south into Abidjan, the commercial capital, more than a week ago.
The United Nations human rights office said yesterday it found 115 corpses in the west in the past 24 hours, adding to the 800 dead reported by aid groups last week.
Ouattara said his soldiers had blockaded Gbagbo in the presidential residence – an ironic twist after Ouattara suffered months in a hotel under siege by Gbagbo’s troops following last November’s disputed election.
In a speech late on Thursday, Ouattara said he would seek to restore security and basic services and would also pursue investigations into reported serious abuses by both his and Gbagbo’s troops since fighting began.
Ouattara won the November presidential poll by eight percentage points, according to UN certified results, but Gbagbo rejected the outcome citing fraud and accused the United Nations of meddling in Ivorian affairs.
The poll was meant to draw a line under Cote d’lvoire’s 2002-3 civil war, but the dispute over results rekindled it, turning Abidjan – once known as the ‘Paris of West Africa’ – once again into a war zone.
“I was born here, but I am leaving and I am never coming back,” said Imad Zarour, 40, who was waiting to be evacuated at a French military base yesterday. “Even if there’s peace, even if they give me a billion dollars, I will never come back to this country. I hate it.”
A commander for the French military force in Cote d’lvoire, Licorne (Unicorn), said yesterday its troops would carry out mixed patrols with police and gendarmes now loyal to Ouattara to restore security and rebuild infrastructure.
“Today, the main efforts of the Licorne force will be the following: help return things to normal and assist in the restoration of state authority,” said Frederick Daguillon, spokesman for the force.
Ouattara said he hoped to revive Cote d’lvoire’s cocoa sector, the country’s main economic engine, which has been paralysed by EU shipping restrictions since January.
“I have asked that European Union sanctions on the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro and certain public entities, be lifted,” Ouattara said in the speech broadcast on television.
“I have also asked the central bank BCEAO to reopen its branches in Cote d’lvoire, to ensure a resumption of operations in all banks so as to enable the payment of salaries and arrears in the shortest possible time,” he said.
In Brussels, the European Commission said it hoped to be able to begin easing sanctions soon. A European diplomatic source said an agreement was possible as early as Tuesday.
Diplomatic and military efforts to oust Gbagbo this week were met with fierce resistance and Ouattara said his rival’s residence had been sealed off to protect the area.
“As for the outgoing President Mr Laurent Gbagbo, who has entrenched himself at the presidential residence in Cocody with heavy weapons and mercenaries, a blockade has been established around the perimeter to secure the inhabitants of the district,” Ouattara said.
A week of fighting for control of Abidjan has driven terrified residents to scramble to find food and water, with frequent power cuts and hospitals overwhelmed with wounded.
Ouattara said steps would be taken to shed light on all crimes committed during the conflict and would collaborate with international organisations to investigate human rights abuses and punish those found guilty.
“We have established a national commission of inquiry whose findings will be made public and the perpetrators of crimes will be severely punished,” Ouattara said.
A Gbagbo ally bristled at the comments.
“Ouattara has no right to call for reconciliation,” the head of Gbagbo’s political party, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, said yesterday in an interview with Radio France International. “He is precisely the one who is responsible for all the suffering of the Ivorian people.”
Ouattara’s camp has denied its soldiers were involved in the Duekoue killings, but human rights groups have said there is evidence his forces have killed and pillaged during their offensive.
At a Ouattara military base camp north of Abidjan, Zacaria Kone, a senior commander, warned about 100 of his soldiers yesterday against killing and looting.
“Don’t go killing someone. If there is a problem see one of your chiefs here. They (the pro-Gbagbo militias) have massacred our families, but they will answer for that,” he said.
Asked by Reuters after the speech whether he was referring to specific abuses by his troops, Kone said simply: “I will think about that question.”
France, the former colonial power, has taken a leading role in talks to persuade Gbagbo to hand over to Ouattara and end the standoff, and its Defence Minister said he believed Gbagbo had about 1 000 men, 200 of whom were defending his residence.
Helicopters from French forces and the United Nations peacekeeping mission bombarded Gbagbo’s heavy weapons stockpiles earlier this week, including those near the residence.
Gbagbo has ruled Cote d’lvoire since 2000 and blames Paris for supporting the north of the country in the civil war of 2002-03. – Reuters.