Bloodshet in Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast’s residents are bracing for more violence after the West African nation’s financial system collapsed and troops fired on demonstrators in the commercial capital, Abidjan .
Security forces killed 12 people during protests by supporters of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the Nov. 28 election, in the neighborhoods of Koumassi, Youpougon and Treichville yesterday, according to an e-mailed statement from the opposition coalition, known as RHDP.
“They shot at least two guys in the neighborhood this morning,” John Mambe, a resident of Koumassi, said by phone yesterday. “A lot of young guys have been injured, at least 10.” Treichville resident Chantal Guehennot said she saw a body in the street after the gunfire erupted.
The renewed violence in the world’s top cocoa producer comes after a month of relative calm, during which Ouattara tried to prevent funds from reaching rival Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused the resign the presidency. Ouattara called on cocoa and coffee exporters to halt shipments, told residents to stop paying taxes to Gbagbo’s administration and convinced the regional central bank to cut ties with the incumbent.
Koumassi and Treichville, located in south Abidjan, are mixed in terms of their political affiliations. Ouattara won 61,429 votes in Koumassi, while Gbagbo took 56,000; in Treichville Ouattara received 24,008 and Gbagbo 15,686, according to the country’s electoral commission.
Deployment The army “reinforced the deployment” of troops in Abidjan to prevent a deterioration in the security situation, Hilaire Babri Gohourou, army spokesman, said on state-owned Radio Television Ivoirienne yesterday.
“All the security measures have been taken in order to guard against any eventuality,” he said.
At least 300 people have been killed in clashes since the November vote, according to the United Nations. In the west of the country, Amnesty International estimates 70,000 people have been forced to flee their homes amid ethnic tensions that have been exacerbated by the political impasse. “Several women” were raped and hundreds of homes burned in Duekoue last month, the London-based advocacy group said in an e-mailed statement dated today. Both forces loyal to Gbagbo and those who back Ouattara have perpetrated sexual violence and unlawful killings, it said.
“The current crisis in Cote d’Ivoire has created a human rights black hole in the country,” said Gaetan Mootoo, a researcher with the group.
Financial Collapse As the violence escalated, the country’s financial system faltered, with at least 10 commercial lenders closing their branches in Abidjan over the past week. BNP Paribas SA, Standard Chartered Plc, Citigroup Inc. and Societe General SA are among the banks that have locked their doors.
BICICI, a unit of Paribas, will reopen its doors today after it was taken over by the government, state-controlled Radio Television Ivoirienne reported late yesterday, citing workers at the bank.
The leaders of South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritania and Chad arrived in Abidjan yesterday for African Union-mandated talks with the Ouattara and Gbagbo.
“The mediation is unlikely to yield much and may not prevent the country from inexorably hurdling towards a potential political partition of civil war,” according to e-mailed comment from analysts at New York-based DaMina Advisors LLP, including Managing Director Sebastian Spio-Garbrah.
The country has been divided for most of the past decade, after a 2002 uprising of mutinous army soldiers left the country split between a rebel-held north and a government-controlled south.
March delivery cocoa climbed for the second day, adding 21 pounds, or 0.9 percent, to 2,301 pounds per metric ton in London trading yesterday.
–Editors: Emily Bowers, Philip Sanders.
To contact the reporters on this story: Pauline Bax and Olivier Monnier in Abidjan via Accra at ebowers1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net. 02-22-11 0239EST< f1099bloomr f BC-IVORY-COAST-VIOLENCE- 02-22 0728 ^BC-IVORY-COAST-VIOLENCE-UP2< IVORY COAST RESIDENTS BRACE FOR RENEWED CLASHES IN ABIDJAN (2) ^c.2011 Bloomberg News (Updates with explosions in third paragraph.) By Pauline Bax and Olivier Monnier Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) — Ivory Coast’s residents are bracing for more violence after the West African nation’s financial system came to a halt and troops fired on demonstrators in the commercial capital, Abidjan.
Security forces killed 12 people during protests by supporters of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the Nov. 28 presidential election, in the neighborhoods of Koumassi, Youpougon and Treichville yesterday, according to an e-mailed statement from the opposition coalition, known as RHDP.
“They shot at least two guys in the neighborhood this morning,” John Mambe, a resident of Koumassi, said by phone yesterday after seeing the bodies in the street. “A lot of young guys have been injured.” At least four loud explosions were heard from the neighborhood overnight.
The renewed violence in the world’s top cocoa producer comes after a month of relative calm, during which Ouattara tried to prevent funds from reaching rival Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused the resign the presidency. Ouattara called on cocoa and coffee exporters to halt shipments, told residents to stop paying taxes to Gbagbo’s administration and convinced the regional central bank to cut ties with the incumbent.
Koumassi and Treichville, located in south Abidjan, are mixed in terms of their political affiliations. Ouattara won 61,429 votes in Koumassi, while Gbagbo took 56,000; in Treichville, Ouattara received 24,008 and Gbagbo 15,686, according to the country’s electoral commission.
Deployment The army “reinforced the deployment” of troops in Abidjan to prevent a deterioration in the security situation, Hilaire Babri Gohourou, army spokesman, said on state-owned Radio Television Ivoirienne yesterday.
“All the security measures have been taken in order to guard against any eventuality,” he said.
At least 300 people have been killed in clashes since the November vote, according to the United Nations. In the west of the country, Amnesty International estimates 70,000 people have been forced to flee their homes amid ethnic tensions that have been exacerbated by the political impasse. Several women were raped and hundreds of homes burned in Duekoue last month, the London-based advocacy group said in an e-mailed statement dated today. Both forces loyal to Gbagbo and those who back Ouattara have perpetrated sexual violence and unlawful killings, it said.
“The current crisis in Cote d’Ivoire has created a human- rights black hole in the country,” said Gaetan Mootoo, a researcher with the group.
Financial Collapse As the violence escalated, the country’s financial system faltered, with at least 10 commercial lenders closing their branches in Abidjan over the past week. BNP Paribas SA, Standard Chartered Plc, Citigroup Inc. and Societe General SA are among the banks that have locked their doors.
BICICI, a unit of BNP Paribas, will reopen today after it was taken over by the government, state-controlled Radio Television Ivoirienne reported late yesterday, citing workers at the bank.
The leaders of South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritania and Chad arrived in Abidjan yesterday for African Union-mandated talks with the Ouattara and Gbagbo.
“The mediation is unlikely to yield much and may not prevent the country from inexorably hurdling towards a potential political partition or civil war,” according to e-mailed comment from analysts at New York-based DaMina Advisors LLP, including Managing Director Sebastian Spio-Garbrah.
The country has been divided for most of the past decade, after a 2002 uprising of mutinous soldiers left the country split between a rebel-held north and a government-controlled south.
March delivery cocoa climbed for the second day, adding 21 pounds, or 0.9 percent, to 2,301 pounds per metric ton in London trading yesterday.

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