Amnesty International calls for an end to forced evictions in Abidjan

Posted on August 14, 2024

Lecture: 2 minutes.

In a press release, Amnesty International called for an “immediate halt to forced evictions” and the massive demolitions carried out by authorities since January. Abidjan District The NGO condemned the “excessive use of force” wait Tens of thousands of Abidjan residents are said to have been driven from their homes.

‘No systematic census’

In June, a field survey was conducted in four areas of the economic capital affected by these destruction operations (Gesco, bank 1, Boribana and the slaughterhouse), Amnesty International reported that all those interviewed “claimed that they had not been consulted on the terms of the eviction” and had not been “officially informed of the date of the demolition.”

In addition to the resettlement of residential and commercial have The NGO went on to say that “without proposing any solutions, children and young people are being deprived of their right to education”.

Furthermore, “the authorities did not take Population Census She claimed that the demolitions were carried out “systematically” before they began, making it impossible to do an exhaustive accounting and compensation for all the victims.

Movements defended by RHDP

In mid-March, the Ivorian government announced resettlement assistance measures, including a payment of 250,000 CFA francs (381 But Amnesty International said that as of early August, thousands of families “had still not been rehoused and/or compensated” for the losses they had suffered.

The “expulsion” campaign was defended by the ruling Houphouët-Bienne party. this The Group for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) said it wanted to reduce the consequences of floods and landslides, which kill dozens of people every year in the metropolis of more than six million people.

“As we move towards this As we grow, sometimes we have to make difficult decisions that can cause misunderstandings and even anger,” he said in his defense on August 6. Alassane OuattaraHowever, he declared that he wanted to “minimize” the consequences for the public. Australia During these operations.

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In February, the Ivorian National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) accused the authorities of “ignoring fundamental rights” and carrying out the destruction “without consultation”. July During similar operations ajame villagea traditional village in the center of Abidjan. Residents opposed to the destruction clashed with police Their commodity.

(AFP report)