Committee of Actions for Cote d’Ivoire: Letter to President Obama

Le 06 septembre 2012 par Correspondance particulière - September4, 2012
Mr. Barack Obama,
President of the Republic of the United States of America

Protest against the regime of Mr. Alassane Ouattara and request for the end of political disorder, impunity, killing, genocide and insecurity in the Ivory Coast
Dear Mr. President,
The 7th of August 2012 marked the 52nd anniversary of the independence of the Ivory Coast. Whereas this day should be a moment of celebration of our unique identity, it was, instead, one of pain because of the general state of sadness and fear that has engulfed the country since April 11, 2011.
Mr. President, the purpose of this motion is manifold.
1. We express our untiring support to Mr. Laurent Gbagbo whose freedom we demand.
2. We condemn the ongoing impunity, massacres, violations of human rights and the political disorder that the regime of Mr. Alassane Ouattara has installed in the Ivory Coast.
3. We inform you of the massacre of the Wê, an ethnic group of western Ivory Coast without any reaction from Mr. AlassaneOuattara.
4. We inform you that colonies of armed citizens from neighboring countries especially Burkina Faso are taking by force the land of Ivorian peasants in the western part of Ivory coast with the complicity of Mr. AlassaneOuattara's forces and mercenaries.
5. We note that the use of force to end the 2010 electoral dispute did not bring peace but created a bigger spate of violence, terror, and repression against civilians and political opponents.

Mr. President, news from the Ivory Coast is disenchanting. There is a need to Act Now.
Mr. President, this motion, copies of which will be sent to US lawmakers, NGOs, and members of the clergy is addressed to you because you are among the leaders of the world who helped Mr. Alassane Ouattara into power in the Ivory Coast. In a YouTube address from the White House, on April 5, 2011, you ordered Mr. Laurent Gbagbo out of power despite the ruling of the Constitutional Council on December 2, 2010, which declared him the winner of the November 2010 presidential election, and you asked Ivorians to recognize Mr. Alassane Ouattara as their new leader. You specifically claimed that Mr. Alassane Ouattara would advance democracy, peace, growth, and the respect of human rights, as if you knew him personally. Your administration ignored the recommendations of Senator James Inhofe, who advised you to reconsider your position about the Ivorian crisis and about Mr. Laurent Gbagbo you called a dictator. Alas!Committee of Actions for Cote d’Ivoire – USA Email: caci.usa2012@gmail.com Telephone: 215 816 8063 2
Mr. President, we are convinced that you meant well for the Ivorians when you made your decision. But the current state of affairs in the country is an indictment that your choice was wrong. Mr. Alassane Ouattara is not a democratic ruler. He is a true tyrant. His government violates human rights on a daily basis and suppresses the rights of opponents.
Mr. President, it has been 16 months since Mr. Laurent Gbagbo was forced out of power. Yet there is no sign of open political dialogue and true reconciliation, which proves the misguided nature of the international community’s theory that the Ivory Coast would be better off without Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, its duly reelected president. Numerous indicators show that Mr. Alassane Ouattara is incapable of maintaining national security, protecting human rights, promoting a sane political game, and fostering reconciliation.
Mr. President national security is not at anything near the level that prevailed before the 2010 presidential election. Crime rates are high despite Mr. Alassane Ouattara’s outlandish and unsubstantiated claims that the situation has improved. The UN Operations in the Ivory Coast continues to demand the government to speed up the disarmament of the still heavily armed combatants. The FRCI and the Dozos (traditional hunters) whose presence in all villages causes clashes between them and civilians are mostly responsible for robberies and assassinations.
Mr. President, under Mr. Alassane Ouattara, the Ivory Coast has turned into a lawless land where guns rule. Raiding houses and the arbitrary arrests of innocent youths are the government’s automatic reaction to rumors of destabilization. Since August 6, 2012, a series of attacks against the FRCI have shaken the country and prompted waves of arrests and tortures of youths without proof of any wrongdoing.
In July 2012, the Ivory Coast National Committee for Human Rights declared that human rights and the freedom of expression disappeared in the country. About 165 people, including Mrs. Simone Gbagbo and Prime ministers Aké Ngbo and Affi N’guessan have been detained for a year without any credible charge or trial. About 300 people have their financial assets frozen. Thousand individuals are in exile.
The freedom of expression does not exist anymore. Opposition parties are severely repressed and their leaders constantly arrested. Mr. Alassane Ouattara refuses to free all political prisoners although this act is a prerequisite for dialogue and reconciliation. France’s Francois Hollande insisted on this when he met with Mr. Alassane Ouattara in Paris on July 26, 2012. Mr. Alassane Ouattara has promoted political tribalism by appointing essentially northerners to social, political, and administrative positions. On August 7, 2012, on the occasion of 52nd anniversary of the independence, 20 of 33 national medals were awarded to northerners. Journalists are harassed and jailed.
National reconciliation is stalled because the government is not truly committed to it. Instead of breeding democratic rule, Mr. Alassane Ouattara rules with violence, terror, vengeance, tribalism, abuses, and injustice. He has brought dissatisfaction and cynicism among people. Committee of Actions for Cote d’Ivoire – USA Email: caci.usa2012@gmail.com Telephone: 215 816 8063 3
Mr. President, we must inform you that a new wave of killing is taking place at the moment in western Ivory Coast. The victims are the wê people. Since the events of Duékoué in which the forces loyal to Mr. Alassane Ouattara murdered in cold blood 800 and more people in April 2011, many more massacres have taken place in that region. The latest occurred on July 20, 2012. About 500 supporters of Mr. Alassane Ouattara with the assistance of the FRCI and the Dozos attacked a camp of Internally Displaced People in Nahibly near Duékoué. The International Red Cross said 213 people were killed and thousands were missing. The camp was burned down. Whereas the incident stirred national and international consternation, Mr. Alassane Ouattara continued his trip to London to the Olympics without addressing any word of compassion to the families of the victims. Is this the trait of a leader who cares for his people?
Mr. President, the systematic killing of the Wê people is meant to deprive them of their lands and their cocoa farms. The government intends to hand the farms and the lands to non-natives from Burkina Faso. The FRCI and warlords from Burkina Faso, the most famous of whom is Amade Ouremi, are the executioners of this objective. They facilitate land expropriation and the settlement of nationals from Burkina Faso. French television TV5Monde showed a documentary in which nationals from Burkina Faso are forcing native Wê out of their lands at gun point.
Mr. President, we are convinced that to initiate a political dialogue for peace and reconciliation,
1. all forms of repression and the massacre of the Wê people must cease,
2. the settlement of nationals from Burkina Faso must end,
3. an African commission must be created to investigate the recent spate of violence,
4. military and ministerial authorities must be sanctioned for failing to protect the populations,
5. all political prisoners must be freed and all assets unfrozen,
6. all arrest warrants and harassments against the exiled people must end,
7. Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, the rightful winner of the 2010 presidential election must be freed.

Yours truly,
The Secretariat General of the Committee of Actions for Cote d’Ivoire – USA

USA Email: caci.usa2012@gmail.com Telephone: 215 816 8063 1