UN says 1 million people displaced due to violence in Côte d'Ivoire

UN says 1 million people displaced due to violence in Côte d'Ivoire

2011-03-26 05:55:59 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations on Friday informed that as many as 1 million people have been displaced from their homes due to the post-electoral violence in Côte d'Ivoire.

"The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fueled by fears of all-out war," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Melissa Fleming said. "This week, we have seen panic in Abidjan as thousands of youths have responded to the call for civilians to join the ranks of forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo."

Local residents decided to flee their residences due tot escalation in violence as Gbagbo's began using heavy weapons against civilians. Former President Gbagbo lost an UN-certified and internationally recognized election to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara last November.

"The deteriorating security situation and the escalation in the use of heavy weapons have had a serious toll on the lives and well-being of the Ivorian people," said Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Atul Khare. "The human rights situation is very grave."

The most gruesome attacks have been perpetrated in Abidjan's Abobo neighborhood during the last three months. Khare remarked the attack by pro-Gbagbo security forces loyal using heavy machine guns against a group of women demonstrating peacefully, killing seven and wounded several more.

In other instance, Gbagbo's forces fired mortar shells at an Abobo market, killing more than 25 people and wounding more than 40 others. According to the UN, an estimated 462 people have been killed since violence erupted in September.

In addition, more than 93,000 people have fled to the neighboring Liberia to the west while over a million people have been internally displaced. The UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has directed its 9,000 peacekeepers to protect citizens at all costs.

Khare highlighted that UNOCI has increased the number of patrols in vulnerable neighborhoods, round-the-clock patrols in Abobo as well as aerial surveillance of Abidjan and the rest of the country to prevent further killings.

"In general, we are extremely concerned about the worsening situation, particularly given the continuing incitement by the outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo," said OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville.

In response, the UN Human Rights Council on Friday decided to send an independent international commission of inquiry to Côte d’Ivoire to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding allegations of serious rights abuses.

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