April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

products to rise sharply and encouraging speculation.[5] As Toure
emphasised: ‘Market prices have soared so much that some essential
products such as oil, sugar, meat and onions are difficult to obtain. This is
a real hardship for households. Before the crisis, many female-headed
households could only afford one meal a day, so one can only imagine how
much more difficult it is now for those families. Everyone is suffering.’
Coulibaly added: ‘Life seems to go in slow motion. Prices have soared. For
example, sometimes there is a shortage of natural gas. A quantity of coal
that previously cost CFAF100 now costs CFAF200. A kilo of ‘oignon dur’*
has increased from CFAF450 to CFAF1,000 while onions from Niamey have
increased from CFAF600 to CFAF1,500, and a kilo of beetroots from
CFAF1,900 to CFAF3,000. These examples illustrate the impact of this
crisis on the shopping basket and this price increase has a tangible impact
on the living conditions of Ivorians. Salaries remain the same although
prices are surging. This situation forces women to economize more in order
to feed their families. Regardless of whether it is a woman or man who is
the head of household, everyone has similar difficulties to overcome.’
Sophie confirmed that some food prices have doubled, while those of other
products, such as oil, have tripled. She said that it is extremely difficult
for middle-income households to feed themselves because everything has
become so expensive.
The situation is no different in other cities and towns in the country.
Coulibaly stated: ‘The current crisis has affected the whole Ivorian
territory. In Korhogo in the north, Bouaké in the centre of the country, and
Man and Duokoué in the west, food prices have almost doubled. The
population is tired and is growing poorer every day. In addition, the
private sector is threatened with redundancies, which could lead to famine
for parts of the population. We have just learned that with the closure of
the Abidjan and San Pedro ports, we will run out of gas in a few days. Côte
d’Ivoire exports all its products. Another concern is that HIV/AIDS patients
are no longer provided with anti-retroviral drugs and this has resulted in a
proliferation of the disease and the aggravation of existing cases.’
Toure paints a similar picture of the situation, stating: ‘Impoverishment is
felt by everyone throughout the territory. Before the elections, the
country had not yet unified and therefore in the central, northern and
western areas, the living conditions were already poor. The south was not
spared, but it suffered to a lesser degree. But now I can assure you that
now no area is better than another. Whether it be towns, villages, urban
or rural areas, it is the same unbearable situation all over.’
VIOLENCE, RIGHTS AND SECURITY VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
ADVOCATES
After the first, relatively peaceful round of elections at the end of October
2010, reports of violence and abuse in different regions of the country
began to emerge. These incidents indicated a serious deterioration of the
general human rights situation and are a reminder of the atrocities
committed during the last decade. African, European and American human
rights organisations, in particular Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty
International, have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the situation.
The United Nations Human Rights Council held a special session on Côte
d’Ivoire in Geneva on 23 December 2010, during which the US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton made a speech and the High Commissioner on Human
Rights Navi Pillay strongly condemned the human rights violations
committed in Côte d’Ivoire. The Office of the Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court (ICC) has also voiced its concerns about the
situation.