A WAR CRIMINAL BACK BY “ THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY” IS VISITING THE UNITED KINGDOM”: THIS IS A STAIN TO THE BRITISH INSTITUTION

Le 24 juillet 2012 par IVOIREBUSINESS - President Dramane Ouattara of Ivory Coast (West Africa) is a war criminal
Why he does not deserve to make a speech at Chatham House on 27 July 2012?

1/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/09/ivory-coast-rebels-kill-hundreds

“As Ouattara, backed by the UN and the international community, edges closer to victory, the Guardian has uncovered evidence of atrocities committed by the forces acting in his name. Refugees who scrambled through the rainforest to safety in neighbouring Liberia have described children being burned alive during rebel attacks and bodies littering the streets.
Hundreds have been killed by forces loyal to Ouattara, according to HRW's report. It found that summary executions of perceived Gbagbo supporters had taken place, and reported accounts of mass rape. Matt Wells, HRW's Ivory Coast researcher, said: "In village after village, Ouattara's forces terrorised civilians perceived as supporting Gbagbo, killing hundreds and raping dozens more. In committing to move Ivory Coast out of its longstanding crisis, Ouattara must ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to justice
Crouching in the bushes along the banks of the river that separates Liberia from Ivory Coast, two young Liberian men in filthy clothes and flip-flops agreed to a recorded interview after a small payment was made. They described how they had just returned home from a nine-day operation with pro-Ouattara rebels, where they said they were told to kill "anyone and everyone".
They described barbaric scenes in which they surrounded villages in the west of Ivory Coast and, armed with machetes, killed everyone they saw. "The town we entered first, most of the people were on the road. We killed them, just cutting them with our machetes," they said.
One of the towns they claim to have attacked was Blolequin. UN investigators said yesterday they had found more than 100 bodies in Blolequin and surrounding towns. Some appeared to have been burned alive and others had been thrown into a well. The UN believes Liberian mercenaries may have been responsible.”

2/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/04/09/c-te-d-ivoire-ouattara-forces-kill-rape-civilians-during-offensive Côte d’Ivoire: Ouattara Forces Kill, Rape Civilians During Offensive
Forces loyal to President-elect Alassane Ouattara killed hundreds of civilians, raped more than 20 alleged supporters of his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, and burned at least 10 villages in Côte d'Ivoire's far western region, Human Rights Watch said today

3/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/08/05/c-te-d-ivoire-military-promotions-mock-abuse-victims Côte d’Ivoire: Military Promotions Mock Abuse Victims
President Not Living Up to Promises of Impartial Justice

Washington) – The promotion of two Côte d’Ivoire military commanders against whom there are serious allegations of involvement in grave crimes raises concerns about President Alassane Ouattara’s commitment to end impunity and ensure justice for victims, Human Rights Watch said today.

On August 3, 2011, President Ouattara signed a promotion making Chérif Ousmane the second-in-command for presidential security (Groupe de sécurité de la présidence de la République). During the final battle for Abidjan, Ousmane was the head of the Republican Forces operations in Yopougon neighborhood, where scores of perceived supporters of Laurent Gbagbo were executed extrajudicially. A soldier in his “Guépard Company” told Human Rights Watch that Ousmane himself ordered the execution of 29 prisoners
Ouattara also appointed Martin Kouakou Fofié head of the military company (Compagnie territoriale)headquartered in the northern town of Korhogo. Fofié was one of three people placed on the UN Security Council sanctions list in 2006, for commanding forces who committed grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Despite frequent promises of impartial justice, the Ouattara government has not charged anyone from the Republican Forces – the troops that supported him in removing Gbagbo and that are now the country’s military – for the grave crimes committed during the post-election period. More than 70 leaders from the Gbagbo side have been charged by either civilian or military prosecutors.
President Ouattara is invited to make a speech on 27 July 2012 at Chatham House. This will be a stain on the reputation of such a respectable British institution and an insult to the memories of the thousands of innocent civilian victims of his barbaric military. Most of the opposition leaders and hundreds of random perceived supporters of ex-President Gbagbo are rotting in jail without trial and have been tortured since Ouattara seized power in April 2011. Many have died as a consequence of this. Opposition rally is banned in Ivory Coast and daily kidnapping, torture, imprisonment of journalists and opposition activists have become the standard. None of the war criminals from his side has yet faced justice despite the rhetoric of fair justice and end of impunity. As stressed by the US Senator Inhofe in a protest against the visit of Ouattara to the White House “It is outrageous that President Obama would welcome, with open arms, a man who is responsible for the death of at least 3,000 people and displacement of half a million refugees in the African country of Cote d’Ivoire,” said Inhofe. “Instead of participating in our nation’s budget crisis, the President spends his time meeting with this killer and human rights abuser. Ouattara’s bloodletting seems unabated, and he does not seem to be interested in restraining his forces from eliminating perceived pro-Gbagbo supporters. He did not deserve an invitation to our White House or an audience with our President in the Oval Office. Ouattara is nothing more than an illegitimate usurper who has scandalized Cote d’Ivoire’s electoral system, and unlawfully ousteddemocratic incumbent Laurent Gbagbo.” http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=77DBC2F2-E574-AC49-AC24-E26816012F5B He is a tyrant and war criminal who does not deserve the honour of being welcomed by such a highly regarded organisation that promote democratic values, human rights and good governance in the world. We hope that our voiceless outcry will be echoed by yourself and your organisation.
I avail myself for more information on the matter at your convenience.
Regards

A contribution by Mrs Rachelle Djah
Human Right Activist at Rachel_djah.t21@btinternet.com

Ivory Coast rebels have killed hundreds, say observers
www.guardian.co.uk
Reports of mass murders and rapes in villages. Pro-government forces also accused of atrocities