Cote d'Ivoire

In November 2010 there was a presidential election in Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) between the incumbent president Laurent Nbagbo and his opponent, Alasane Outarra. Outarra won the election, but Nbagbo refused to give up office. The standoff turned into violence throughout the country over political control. Fighters loyal to both presidents committed attacks and many were killed. By April 2011 about 800 people were killed just in the town of Duekoue.

The escalating violence in Ivory Coast threw the country into chaos. About 700,000 - 1 million people were displaced by the end of the first quarter of 2011. They were mostly from Abidjan, Abobo, Adjamame, Williamsville and Yopougon. There was also the closure of banks and businesses that led to unemployment and an increase in food prices. Hospitals and schools started closing. The media was controlled by Gbagbo's regime, which broadcasted hate speeches and provoked violence.

In addition to the killings, supporters of Quattara were also forcibly disappeared, raped, and beaten. In a massacre at Bedi-Goazon people were attacked with guns, grenades, and machetes. Homes were pillaged, items of value were looted, and there were some instances of houses being burned. Some witnesses say there was ethnic targeting and recall attackers saying if they were Malian or Mossi they would be killed. Some people were able to survive by paying off the attackers.

A year after Ouattara's fighters captured the town of Duekoue, there was no justice for the victims. An investigation had not been started nor had there been many arrests for the crimes committed. Many people were shot dead but there were also some that were burned alive or had their throats slit. Women, children, and the elderly were included as victims that were brutally murdered.

During the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire President Outtara created a national army, which was supposed to help ensure safety and defuse the violence. Like Gbagbo's supporters, they also committed crimes against humanity. In 2013 trials began for those on Gbagbo's side that had charged with crimes, but no one from the national army or Outtara's side had yet been charged. Amnesty International visited detention centers in 2012 and found that the detainees were being held without access to family members, lawyers, and doctors. There were reports of torture, insanitary living conditions, and little food or water to survive. The inhumane treatment for Gbagbo's side and lack of justice for the victims of Outtara's side perpetuates the cycle of abuse and human rights violations.

Hundreds of people that had fled Cote d'Ivore during the election crisis came back months or up to a few years later finding that their land was illegally taken over. Gueres that were mainly supporters of Gbagbo came back to find that the land was taken by other non-native ethnic groups, whom were mostly Outtara supporters. Other Gueres from nearby villages and sometimes even their own family members fraudulently sold land, pretending to be owners. Many families lost the land they inherited; without access to grow food or cash crops it has put them in poverty.

At the end of 2013 Ivory Coast sent hit squads to Ghana to kill supporters of the former president Gbagbo, but the Ghana government said they foiled the missions. There was at least one Gbagbo supporter that disappeared after being abducted. Other Gbagbo refugees were scared to return in fear of being killed. Liberian mercenaries were also paid to stop attacks against Outtara's government. The mercenaries received from $2,000 to $8,000, but several said they were supposed to have been paid more.

In November 2016 Cote d'Ivoire had a peace rally for national reconciliation for the attacks in 2011 and the subsequent killings. The country was still dealing with the issue of justice for the victims of Outtara's side; only one person had been charged had yet to go to trial. One survivor recalls everything burning down in 2012 at the camp he was at. A journalist took footage of the attacks with his phone; it showed government officials and soldiers watching as the camp burned down. There were groups of men chasing people with machetes and clubs. One guy said he was there to kill and admitted to killing three people. A few years after the attack some survivors are still scared to go back and people are still waiting for autopsy results of the bodies so they can have proper burials for their family members. The government has yet to provide a proper and timely investigation for the atrocities.