Though Laurent Gbagbo was arrested yesterday and called for his forces to surrender their weapons, fighting continues in the Ivory Coast.
There are concerns that the violence will be even harder to end because Gbagbo’s supporters may see President Alassane Ouattara as a leader imposed on them by the Western world, particularly France, the Ivory Coast’s former colonial power.
Ouattara has called for peace, and his first challenge will be to restore security. An estimated 1,500 Ivorians have been killed since the November election, and over a million have been displaced. Human Rights Watch has urged that Gbagbo be held accountable for crimes against humanity; however, there are reports that pro-Ouattara soldiers committed violence against civilians, as well.
For information on InterAction members responding to the humanitarian crisis, please see our crisis list on the Ivory Coast and Liberia.
