Global Policy Forum

By Clar Ni Chonghaile

The United Nations must send more troops to Ivory Coast because if the latest peace deal fails, another round of fighting could trigger human rights abuses that would be hard to control, a rights group said. In a report published on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) also called for U.N. sanctions on those guilty of grave human rights abuses during the West African nation's civil war, which broke out after a rebellion in 2002.

"The blue helmets are too thinly spread and lightly equipped to deal with multiple attacks accompanied by civil unrest or communal violence," Peter Takirambudde, HRW'S Africa director, said in a statement. "The Security Council must approve the reinforcements without delay." There are some 10,000 U.N. and French peacekeepers in the former French colony, patrolling a no-weapons buffer zone between the rebel-held north and government south. Their mandate runs out on Wednesday and is expected to be renewed.

Last December, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked for an extra 1,200 troops but HRW said the request was being blocked by the United States for budget reasons. All sides in Ivory Coast's war have been accused of rights violations from summary executions to torture during a conflict that has killed thousands and fuelled age-old ethnic rivalries.

Hopes for peace have been reinvigorated since President Laurent Gbagbo and rebels agreed in South Africa to stop fighting and disarm militias. But previous deals -- promising exactly the same -- have been scuppered by distrust and clashes. "If the Pretoria agreement fails, as have earlier efforts, conditions could quickly become disastrous for civilians," Takirambudde said.

Militias Pose Threat

HRW's report looked at the effects on civilians of last November's government bombing raids on rebel towns and an attack on rebels in western Logouale in February, which it said triggered ethnic clashes in which around 16 people were killed. "Logouale is a chilling warning for the international community that should large-scale hostilities resume, the potential is great for massive xenophobic or ethnic violence against civilians," the report said.

Despite a lull in fighting, ethnic violence still flares in the west, an ethnic tinderbox near the border with Liberia. Just south of Logouale, at least eight people were killed on Friday as rival ethnic groups clashed in the town of Duekoue. The rights group said the rebels, who call themselves New Forces, were guilty of torture and summary executions.

It also condemned the government for using militias. "The government has been making increasing use of thousands of poorly-trained and ill-disciplined militias that have committed serious crimes with impunity, particularly targeting northerners, Muslims and West African immigrants," it said.

HRW said Western diplomats estimated there were around 31,000 people in pro-government militias. The disarmament commission estimates total militia membership at 10,000. Last November, the U.N. Security Council voted to impose travel and economic sanctions on those guilty of rights violations, but held back for fear of prejudicing peace talks. "The logic of putting justice on hold for an elusive final settlement denies victims the right to see those responsible for serious human rights crimes held accountable," said Takirambudde. "This strategy appears to be emboldening perpetrators."

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