Ivory Coast denies opposition kidnapping claims ahead of vote

Ivory Coast

Abidjan – Ivory Coast’s public prosecutor on Thursday denied opposition claims of kidnappings and forced disappearances, after complaints of arrests of government critics weeks out from the west African country’s presidential election.

The denial came after the party of former president Laurent Gbagbo, a fierce rival of current leader Alassane Ouattara, on Tuesday said that around 30 of its members had been abducted or arrested since August 1.

Tensions are high ahead of the October 25 poll, especially after the courts prevented Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, who heads the largest opposition party, from running to prevent Ouattara from winning a fourth term.

The prosecutor, Oumar Braman Kone, said he “has observed that for a while several people, including the political party leaders… have reported kidnappings by masked elements”.

“Ivory Coast has experienced neither kidnappings, nor abductions, nor forced disappearances,” Kone said in a statement.

Insisting that he was “regularly informed of the operations of the police”, he said all arrested people were treated with due process and “if necessary, detained in accordance with the law”.

But Kone said the use of masks and hoods by police officers on duty was not against the law and was part of the procedure for certain units.

Both Gbagbo and Thiam were excluded from the coming vote over issues with the electoral roll.

Though the government says the judiciary acted of its own accord, the opposition has repeatedly questioned the independence of the Ivorian courts.

Ouattara, 83, will face off against former ministers Jean-Louis Billon and Ahoua Don Mello, as well as former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo and Henriette Lagou, who previously ran for president in 2015.

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Source: AFP

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