Though the
feuds in Côte d’Ivoire have simmered down in terms of the violence between supporters
of former president Gbagbo and the supporters of Ouattara, the winner of the
November 2010 elections, many Guéré people are now victims of land
dispossession. Having been pushed off their home by Ouattara supporters'
advances, much of the native population have either chosen to remain as
refugees in Liberia or come back to find non-natives occupying their land
illegally.
Land
ownership is a vital part of an individual's livelihood. For people such as the
native Guéré of Côte d’Ivoire, land is more than just a place to return to. They
cultivate the land together in villages, thereby using it to found communal
bonds and generate revenue. The chaos of fraudulent land ownership is made even
more appalling when some new occupiers destroy parts of land meant to be
dedicated to future generations. To not only take people's homes and sources of
income, but also their culture and future, is telling of the blatant disrespect
being exhibited by these non-natives. Land falls under property, and it is
accepted in many human rights documents that people have a right to their
property.
Nevertheless,
the Guéré are not without fault. I find it somewhat unsurprising that the same
scenario was played before in Côte d’Ivoire, but under Gbagbo. In the conflicts
of 2002 to 2003, it was native populations that forcibly displaced non-natives;
in the current conflict, cases of a non-native taking back land that was once
theirs have been documented. Back then, Gbagbo's administration did little, if
anything, to settle disputes. Just as before, the government under Ouattara has
done little to help return lands to rightful owners. It is essential that
Ouattara's administration learn from Gbagbo's and put in the necessary effort
to protect the rights of the people. As Matt Wells, a West Africa researcher,
implies, the continued lack of administrative response can cause tensions to rise
again, and unless action is taken promptly, things may once more culminate into
violence in Côte d’Ivoire.
No comments:
Post a Comment