ABIDJAN: At least 237 people were arrested Saturday in Ivory Coast during a protest against what activists called the country’s authoritarian drift, according to a statement by the Minister of the Interior and Security on national television.
Protesters reported the use of tear gas and makeshift roadblocks near the planned start of the march.
Ivory Coast, a nation of 32 million and the largest economy in Francophone West Africa, is due to hold a presidential election in two weeks. Earlier this year, four main opposition figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, were barred from running by the electoral commission.
Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara, who has been in power since 2010, announced his intention to run for a fourth term earlier this year, in a controversial move following a 2016 constitutional change that removed the presidential term limit.
The day before the protest, the prefect of Abidjan declared that all marches in the capital on Saturday were illegal because of the need to maintain order during the election period.
“All these people will be held accountable for their actions,” Gen. Vagondo Diomandė, the Minister of the Interior and Security said, reiterating that the protest was illegal.
Elections in Ivory Coast have usually been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term, several people were killed in election violence.
Ouattara is the latest among a growing number of leaders in West Africa who remain in power by changing constitutional term limits. He justified his decision to run again by saying that the Ivory Coast is facing unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges that require experience to manage them effectively.
Over the past decade, groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group have been spreading from the Sahel region into wealthier West African coastal states, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.
Ivory Coast arrests 237 protesters amid rising tensions before presidential election
https://arab.news/pafbv
Ivory Coast arrests 237 protesters amid rising tensions before presidential election
- Protesters reported the use of tear gas and makeshift roadblocks near the planned start of the march
- The day before the protest, the prefect of Abidjan declared that all marches in the capital on Saturday were illegal
Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says
- “The drinking water at the facility continues to taste foul, the food quality for detainees has not improved,” said Escobar, who represents the El Paso area
Detainees at the largest US migrant detention camp endure foul-tasting drinking water, rotten food and inadequate health care, according to a US congresswoman who called the tent facility in El Paso, Texas, “inhumane.” US Representative Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, made the allegations in a letter last week to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem based on complaints from migrants at the new $1.2 billion facility, called Camp East Montana. “Conditions at Camp East Montana are dangerous and inhumane,” Escobar wrote. “It is increasingly clear that it is not a safe nor professionally managed facility.” Asked for comment on the letter, the Department of Homeland Security gave a statement issued in September that denied the center violated federal standards for immigrant detention, such as restricting access to legal representation, or was inhumane.
“All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members,” DHS said. The center has become a target of criticism by Democratic legislators and immigrant advocates opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Escobar wrote that conditions at the camp on the Fort Bliss US Army base had not improved since she first protested to Noem weeks after it opened in August.
“The drinking water at the facility continues to taste foul, the food quality for detainees has not improved,” said Escobar, who represents the El Paso area. She added that detainees faced sewage backups and flooding while only the most ill inmates were referred to the camp medical unit. The camp consists of temporary tent structures meant to house up to 5,000 detainees and relieve overcrowding at other Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. Trump has vowed record deportations of migrants with criminal records in the US illegally. Democrats have argued that federal agents are targeting people indiscriminately to achieve his goals. Immigrant advocate groups have called for the closure of another migrant detention camp in Florida due to alleged inhumane conditions.
