The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in a statement expressed concern over the arrest of several Ivorian opposition leaders after the presidential election, urging the parties to engage in constructive dialogue.
Ms. Bachelet expressed, on Monday, “serious concerns over the arrest of several opposition leaders, at least eight of whom are reportedly still in detention, and the deployment of security forces to the homes of others.
She called on all parties in Cote d’Ivoire to “refrain from any incitement to violence and to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the difficult situation following the presidential election, that the opposition did not recognise.
“I’m urging political leaders on all sides to work together to ease tensions through dialogue and not through brutal security measures and arrests,” Bachelet said, calling for “the right to freedom of peaceful assembly to be protected.”
“It is in no one’s interest to fuel the threat of growing political instability,” the High Commissioner said, recalling the violence that such provocations have led to in 2011.
“I call on all parties to moderate the hateful rhetoric and to strive to find common solutions, with full respect for the rule of law and human rights, through an inclusive and constructive dialogue,” she insisted.
The public prosecutor of Cote d’Ivoire, Richard Adou, announced Friday that he had opened judicial investigations into the charges against some members of the opposition, several of whom were already detained.
In this context, Pascal Affi Nguessan, candidate and president of the Popular Front Ivorian (FPI) was arrested and then charged for his role in the creation of the National Transitional Council, a body intended to replace the institutions in place.
The High Commission also expressed concern over “disturbing reports” of “unidentified individuals who fired shots at the homes of some Ivorian political opposition leaders.”
“These reports indicate that convoys carrying government officials were attacked by unidentified gunmen in the central region of the country, between Bouaké and Béoumi, and in Toumodi, allegedly resulting in casualties, including one death,” the statement continued.
The presidential election of October 31, 2020 is contested by several leaders and opposition parties who do not recognize the possibility of Mr. Alassane Ouattara to serve a third term, thereby creating a “National Council of Transition.”
The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, condemned a week ago the violence in Cote d’Ivoire and called for respect for constitutional order in the country, after the creation of the National Transitional Council chaired by Henri Konan Bédié.
The Constitutional Council confirmed Monday the re-election of Alassane Ouattara credited with 94.27 percent of the vote. Mr. Affi and Bédié refused to take part in the election, considering that the conditions were not met for a credible election.
AP/ls/lb/abj/APA