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IX. REPORTED ABUSES COMMITTED BY THE MPCI
Due to security conditions at the time of our visit, Human Rights Watch was not able to visit rebel-held areas of Côte d'Ivoire. We were not therefore able to investigate reports of abuses carried out by the MPCI in rebel-held towns, including Bouaké and Korhogo. However, secondary sources have reported abuses being committed by the MPCI. A correspondent for Agence France Presse (AFP), Christophe Koffi, was arrested by the MPCI and held for one week after he had conducted an interview with one of the organization's leaders.44 There have also been reports of unlawful killings and secret detentions. Amnesty International interviewed a witness who saw a soldier killed by the MPCI while hiding in his home in Bouaké on October 8.45 The population has been encouraged to denounce any members of the military or those suspected of being government sympathizers. Some of those denounced have reportedly been summarily killed.46 Many members of the security forces and other representatives of government authority are also reported to have been arrested and to be held incommunicado. Amnesty International also reports that children as young as fourteen have been seen fighting for the MPCI.47 Human Rights Watch is concerned at reports received regarding these abuses committed by the MPCI, and urges the MPCI to issue clear instructions to all its members to respect the human rights of all civilians and combatants in its custody. We also urge regional and international intergovernmental bodies, especially the United Nations and ECOWAS, to investigate these reports and prevail upon the MPCI in the same terms. 44 Human Rights Watch interview, Abidjan, October 10, 2002. 45 Amnesty International News Release, October 18, 2002, AFR 31/005/2002.
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