Presidential election in Ivory Coast triggers violence

According to the United Nations, at least 173 people have died in violence over the disputed Ivory Coast presidential election, and some 90 have been tortured. This violence has stoked fears that the country will return to civil war, which split the country into a rebel-controlled north and a loyalist south. Kyung-wha Kang, the UN deputy human rights commissioner, detailed hundreds of arrests and detentions, and cases of torture and mistreatment in the African nation. "Unfortunately it has been impossible to investigate all the allegations of serious human rights violations, including reports of mass graves, due to restrictions on movement by UN personnel,” said Kang. She also shared concerns about how the state media is being controlled by political allies of Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo, the incumbant, has refused to step-down from the presidency despite international calls for his ouster—Alassane Ouattara—after the Nov. 28 runoff vote. The international community sees Ouattara as the winner, since Gbagbo won only after his allies threw out half a million ballots from Ouattara strongholds in the north.

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