Ecowas Condemns Rhetoric Against Regional Citizens in Cote d'Ivoire

25 March 2011
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abuja - Nigeria — The ECOWAS Commission has condemned the incendiary rhetoric against citizens of ECOWAS Member States in Cote d'Ivoire and reminded the leader of the Ivorian Popular Front and outgoing President, Laurent Gbagbo, of his personal responsibility to guarantee the security of civilians living in areas under his control, no matter their state of origin.

In a letter to the outgoing President, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency James Victor Gbeho, referred to the recent "inflammatory speech" by Mr. Ble Goude, the Minister of Youth and leader of the Jeunes Patriots inciting his followers to take arms against the citizens of other ECOWAS Member States and accusing some of the States of supplying mercenaries to opponents in the Ivorian crisis.

"The ECOWAS Commission strongly disapproves of such vitriolic hate speech and takes a serious view of calls to attack innocent citizens of other countries living in Cote d'Ivoire," the President said in the two-page letter.

He recalled that "this unacceptable act comes in the immediate aftermath of other serious acts of violence that have claimed many casualties" and urged him to "personally dissuade your Minister and other followers from further acts of incitement and the temptation to deliberately target the civilian population, including Ivoirians, ECOWAS citizens and other foreigners living in the country."

He then informed Mr. Gbagbo that ECOWAS and the African Union hope to take urgent steps very soon to commence the implementation of the Decision of the African Union Peace and Security Council at its meeting in Addis Ababa on 10th March 2011 regarding the situation in Cote d'Ivoire.

He therefore launched a "fervent appeal" on the outgoing President and all the Ivoirian parties to urge their followers to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any act likely to further worsen the precarious security in the country.

"In this regard, I wish to remind all concerned of their individual and collective responsibility for crimes against unarmed civilians," he added.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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