Ivory, January 28: The United Nations Mission in the Ivory Coast (UNOCI) has confirmed 271 registered deaths in the country since a presidential stand-off escalated in mid-December.
The toll includes those killed in the post-election unrest and also recent ethnic tensions earlier this month in the west of the country.
The presidential standoff and bloody aftermath took place between the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and his rival, Alassane Ouattara, with Western powers and African states pronouncing Quattara the winner.
The UN mission emphasized that the death toll could be much higher than estimated with reports of at least two mass graves. However, investigators have been blocked from accessing them by masked pro-Gbagbo gunmen.
Simon Munzu, head of the UNOCI’s human rights division, says, ”It is imperative that those who put obstacles in our path towards our investigations remove these barriers.”
Ten out of the 11 latest deaths were at the hands of forces loyal to Gbagbo, said UNOCI’s spokesman, Kenneth Blackman.
Diplomats and security sources say many of the dead are victims of death squads operating at night in neighborhoods where Ouattara is popular, and the UN says hundreds more have been kidnapped by Gbagbo’s forces.
Gbagbo’s camp says these are lies meant to discredit him.
An extra 1,000 to 2,000 peacekeepers have been called to support the existing force of 10,000 soldiers and policemen.
Gbagbo has refused exile to South Africa, Nigeria and the United States.
“President Gbagbo doesn’t need to go to Washington. He’s fine where he is and he intends to stay there,” says foreign minister to incumbent Gbagbo, Alcide Djedje.
After efforts at mediation by four African leaders, Gbagbo agreed to continue talks to end the crisis. But an end to the standoff seems far off.
——–Agencies