UN TRYING TO SORT OUT RECENT VIOLENCE IN DUEKOUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABIDJAN 001323 SIPDIS SIPDIS DAKAR FOR USAID/OFDA/RDAVIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF IV SUBJECT: UN TRYING TO SORT OUT RECENT VIOLENCE IN DUEKOUE Classified By: Nick Hilgert for Reasons 1.4 B & D. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Francois Sonon, Head of the Duekoue Field Office for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),confirmed five deaths as a result of ethnic clashes between local Guere and Burkinabe in several villages just north of Duekoue in the Zone of Confidence (ZOC). UNHCR staff are meeting with displaced populations in Douekoue and estimate that some 500-650 persons may have fled their villages. Duekoue has been the scene of several local militia demonstrations in November and these latest incidents underscore the continued volatility in western Cote d'Ivoire. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Local newspapers have reported a series of violent incidents over the past two weeks in the area around Duekoue, particularly the villages of Blodi, Irouzon, and Toa-zeo. Duekoue lies just east of Guiglo in western Cote d'Ivoire and the three villages lie just north of Duekoue in the Zone of Confidence (ZOC). Details of the incidents are hard to uncover and the numbers involved may have been exaggerated, but it appears that ongoing conflict between local indigenous Guere and so-called "Burkinabe" from northern Cote d'Ivoire have resulted in several deaths. A Duekoue-based pro-Gbagbo militia group, the (Ethnic) WE-Patriotic Alliance (APWE),may have participated in some attacks. OCHA SAYS REPORTS EXAGGERATED BUT TRUE -------------- ¶3. (C) Francois Sonon, Head of Field Office for OCHA in Duekoue, told RefCoord that a series of bizarre incidents since the beginning of the month had resulted in five confirmed deaths in clashes between local Guere and Burkinabe. The spark, according to Sonon, occurred in Toa-zeo when two Guere were killed. At some point, machete-wielding members of the Duekoue-based pro-Gbagbo militia, the APWE, together with locals, attacked several villages in revenge for the killings. There are reports that villages were burned and Blodi, Irouzon, and Toa-zeo are now "empty" after people fled the violence, according to Sonon. Sonon confirmed several injuries and said at least one woman was raped in Irouzon. Sonon said some papers had reported up to fifteen locals had been killed, but he claimed these reports are exaggerated. Another OCHA official said that some 500 persons, all Guere, had fled the fighting in Blodi and had taken up residence with host families in Duekoue. Sonon confirmed reports that two more persons were killed during funeral services for one of the victims and that local police investigating the killings found another body wrapped in a plastic bag stuffed in a well and "a number" of skeletons. UNHCR FURIOUS -------------- ¶4. (C) Saber Azam, UNHCR Representative, confirmed the general sequence of events to RefCoord but said he was "furious" with ONUCI, and Pierre Schori in particular. According to Azam, ONUCI had not been able to provide any specific details of the events to UN agencies despite the fact that they are responsible for monitoring the ZOC. Azam said his own personnel had been blocked from entering the ZOC to investigate by ONUCI forces, although ONUCI told him that the military governor was preventing access. Azam said UNHCR staff are currently meeting with the displaced populations in Douekoue to try to identify how many have been displaced, but that he had advised ONUCI forces in Doekoue not to establish another IDP camp. (Note: there is an IDP camp in Guiglo holding approximately 7,000 IDPs. End note.) Azam explained that the Mayor of Duekoue told his staff that the skeletons they found date from the 2002 conflict when locals cleaned up dead bodies after rebel forces had been repulsed and for whatever reason did not bury them in a cemetary. DUEKOUE SCENE OF RECENT MILITIA AGITATION -------------- ¶5. (C) November has been a busy month in Duekoue. Local militia groups, including the APWE, the Movement for the Liberation of Western Cote-d'Ivoire (MILOCI),the Front for the Liberation of the Greater West (FLGO),and the Patriots and Freedom Fighters of the Greater West (PERGO),held a number of protests in early November to demand the second payment of the remaining disarmament grant. Disarmament of local militias was halted in Guiglo after questionable candidates presented themselves with few weapons. Although the extent of the APWE's involvement in the inter-ethnic conflict taking place in villages just outside Duekoue is unclear, both Sonon and Azam stated they believe the APWE is trying to take advantage of the situation to increase tensions in an area under ONUCI's authority. COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) The facts surrounding these incidents are extremely muddled. Both ONUCI and UN-OCHA are planning to send investigation teams to the area this week to determine exactly what happened and the results of their investigations will be reviewed closely. In the meantime, these incidents, as well as the regular protests of various militia groups in places like Guiglo and Duekoue, reinforce the fact that western Cote d'Ivoire remains a volatile and politically charged region and is likely to remain so well into 2007. Hooks