Situationen i Elfenbenskysten (Côte d’Ivoire) forbliver højspændt. Etnisk og demokratisk konflikt lurer.
Everyone agrees that the population should not become hostages of Côte d’Ivoire’s political problems, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Ndolam Ngokwey told IRIN after returning to Abidjan from a two-day mission to the west with the UN’s Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).
The mission’s main focus was on assessing the needs of thousands of Ivoirians who have abandoned their homes in the face of rising tensions in the west.
Particularly around the town of Duékoué, the scene of fierce inter-communal clashes earlier this month.
MANGE DRÆBTE
Ngokwey said at least 35 people had been killed in the confrontation between Malinké and Guéré communities in Duékoué, with the local Catholic Mission now playing host to thousands of displaced.
Ngokwey said Duékoué appeared to be calm for now, but warned against complacency.
– The conflict may have died down and one can talk about a relative peace. I didn’t hear any gunshots in the time I was there. But you can definitely sense the tensions. The situation remains volatile.
LOKALE KONFLIKTER STYRKET AF USIKKER NATIONAL SITUATION
Ngokwey pointed out that the recent violence, reportedly triggered by the killing of a trader, had deep roots, with local tensions exacerbated (forstærket) by the political stand-off in Côte d’Ivoire.
He said the humanitarian needs in Duékoué were stark:
– People need food. They need water and sanitation. They need medical care. Until recently, we were looking at a figure of around 4,000 people requiring help in the west, then it suddenly shoots up to 16,000, he said.
GBAGBO SPØGER
The west remains divided.
Guiglo and Duékoué, important urban centres long seen as major strongholds for Laurent Gbagbo remain under the control of an administration that recognizes Gbagbo’s rule.
Man and Danané are in territory controlled by the pro-Ouattara Forces Nouvelles.
But Ngokwey stressed that, despite the difficulties of the political context, authorities on both sides, at national and regional level, understood the humanitarian priorities and were being supportive, trying to facilitate access.
