tagged w/ Ivory Coast
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CNN...
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THE CNN FREEDOM PROJECT ENDING MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
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January 19th, 2012
12:03 PM ET
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Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find
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In "Chocolate's Child Slaves," CNN's David McKenzie travels into the heart of the Ivory Coast to investigate children working in the cocoa fields.
(More information and air times on CNN International.)
By David McKenzie and Brent Swails, CNN
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CLICK ON CNN LINK (at top) TO VIEW THREE VIDEOS
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Daloa, Ivory Coast (CNN) - Chocolate’s billion-dollar industry starts with workers like Abdul. He squats with a gang of a dozen harvesters on an Ivory Coast farm.
Abdul holds the yellow cocoa pod lengthwise and gives it two quick cracks, snapping it open to reveal milky white cocoa beans. He dumps the beans on a growing pile.
Abdul is 10 years old, a three-year veteran of the job.
He has never tasted chocolate.
During the course of an investigation for CNN’s Freedom Project initiative - an investigation that went deep into the cocoa fields of Ivory Coast - a team of CNN journalists found that child labor, trafficking and slavery are rife in an industry that produces some of the world’s best-known brands.
It was not supposed to be this way.
After a series of news reports surfaced in 2001 about gross violations in the cocoa industry, lawmakers in the United States put immense pressure on the industry to change.
“We felt like the public ought to know about it, and we ought to take some action to try to stop it,” said Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who, together with Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, spearheaded the response. “How many people in America know that all this chocolate they are eating - candies and all of those wonderful chocolates - is being produced by terrible child labor?”
But after intense lobbying by the cocoa industry, lawmakers weren’t able to push through a law. What they got was a voluntary protocol, signed by the heads of the chocolate industry, to stop the worst forms of child labor “as a matter of urgency.” One of the key goals was to certify the cocoa trade as child-labor free.
“It was meant to achieve the end of child slave labor in cocoa fields,” Engel said.
It didn’t.
UNICEF estimates that nearly a half-million children work on farms across Ivory Coast, which produces nearly 40% of the world’s supply of cocoa. The agency says hundreds of thousands of children, many of them trafficked across borders, are engaged in the worst forms of child labor.
A recent study by Tulane University says the industry’s efforts to stop child labor are “uneven” and “incomplete” and that 97% of Ivory Coast’s farmers had not been reached. But the industry’s main representative in the country disagrees with the assessment.
“I think the situation has improved exponentially,” said Rabola Kagohi, country director for the International Cocoa Initiative, the chocolate industry’s answer to fighting child labor and trafficking. “Today, the message is physically getting through.”
Kagohi works out of a basement office with one other permanent employee.
“There are some results,” he said. “I wish that you had spoken to some planters.”
None of the farmers CNN spoke to in the heart of the cocoa production region said they had ever been reached by the International Cocoa Initiative, the government or chocolate companies about child trafficking.
Children such as Abdul don’t know anything about protocols or certification. All they know is work.
When Abdul’s mother died, a stranger brought him across the border to the farm. Abdul says all he’s given is a little food, the torn clothes on his back, and an occasional tip from the farmer. Abdul is a modern child slave.
And he is not the only youngster working in his group.
Yacou insisted he is 16, but his face looks far younger.
“My mother brought me from Burkina Faso when my father died,” he said.
Scars crisscross Yacou’s legs from a machete. He can’t clear grass in the cocoa fields without cutting himself. During harvest season, he works day after day hacking the cocoa pods.
The emotional scars run much deeper.
“I wish I could go to school. I want to read and write,” he said. But Yacou hasn’t spent a single day in school, and he has no idea how to leave the farm.
“It makes me angry,” Engel said. As far as he’s concerned, the chocolate companies haven't done enough.
“They are working with us, and we are glad that they are working with us. But they could do better.”
One of the major players in the Ivory Coast cocoa trade is, not surprisingly, the Ivorian government. Although the country has cornered a vast chunk of a lucrative market, it is considered one of the world’s poorest by any measure.
But the government leadership blames politics and war for the problems in the cocoa industry.
“Thirty years of political instability caused a lot of damage to our economy generally, and to the agricultural sector particularly, and more specifically to the cocoa industry,” said Ivory Coast’s minister of agriculture, Sangafowa Coulibaly. “Unfortunately, these years have been lost.”
After an attempted coup in 2002, the country was split in half and kept from all-out civil war by the United Nations. There was protracted violence after the last disputed presidential elections, when then-President Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede.
With the new government of Alassane Ouattara in charge, the government says it can now put much-needed reforms in place.
“Things can only get better,” Coulibaly said. “The main reason is that today, the political crisis is behind us, the armed conflict is behind us.”
But many observers believe that a new government won’t make it a priority to stop slavery in the cocoa fields.
And with peace, traffickers are free to do their work again. U.N. officials told CNN that the Ivory Coast conflict actually helped slow down trafficking because people were too afraid to move across borders.
Contrary to the promises of action, CNN’s investigation could only find promises. And those promises are empty to children like Abdul and Yacou.
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Post by: CNN's Brent Swails, CNN's David McKenzie
.CNN...
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THE CNN FREEDOM PROJECT ENDING MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
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January 19th,... more
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Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court, where he faces four charges of crimes against humanity stemming from his role in deadly post-election violence.
Gbagbo, the first former head of state to be brought to the global court since its inception in 2002, was read his rights during Monday's hearing at The Hague but declined to have judges read out the charges against him.
The former president, wearing a dark suit, stood and answered questions from the court during the 20-minute hearing.
He said it was French troops who arrested him at the presidential residence in Abidjan in April and then handed him over to forces of the current Ivorian president, Alassane Ouattara.
He also said Ivorian authorities held what he called a surprise hearing to authorize his transfer to The Hague last week.
The ICC charges Gbagbo was an indirect perpetrator of murder, rape and other crimes committed during four months of clashes in Ivory Coast. About 3,000 people were killed and more than a million displaced after he refused to cede power to Ouattara, who defeated him in the November 2010 election.
As president, Gbagbo was able to mobilize sometimes violent mobs several thousand strong. The court says there are "reasonable grounds" to believe pro-Gbagbo forces attacked civilians thought to have supported Ouattara.
The court has scheduled Gbagbo's next hearing for June 18, when prosecutors must convince the court's judges they have enough evidence to bring Gbagbo to trial.
Chief ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says investigations into the Ivory Coast violence continue and Gbagbo is only the first to be brought before the court.
Moreno-Ocampo has said there is evidence that both Ouattara and Gbagbo supporters committed war crimes. Ouattara, now in power, has created a reconciliation panel aimed at unifying Ivory Coast. He has vowed to hold accountable anyone who committed crimes during the unrest.
More at the linkFormer Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has made his first appearance before the... more
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Call for international solidarity with imprisoned Ivory Coast labour leader Basil Mahan GahéCall for international solidarity with imprisoned Ivory Coast labour leader Basil... more
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"This is just one of the many atrocities that have been committed as fighting between Ouattara and Gbagbo supporters has continued in the wake of the disputed presidential election last November. Christians have been caught up in the conflict as perceived supporters of Gbagbo. Support for the two men is split broadly along geographical and religious lines, with the predominantly Muslim north largely backing Ouattara, a Muslim from that region, while support for Gbagbo, a Christian, comes from the mainly Christian south.
Human Rights Watch reported that Ouattara troops have killed at least 149 real or suspected Gbagbo supporters in Abidjan since the capture and arrest of the former president on 11 April. Of these, at least 95 were unarmed. The group believes the total number of non-combatants killed to be much higher, as many witnesses, largely from ethnic groups linked to former President Gbagbo, were too terrified to talk or had fled Abidjan during or following the violence.
Human Rights Watch also documented more than 220 killings by pro-Gbagbo troops against real and perceived Ouattara supporters when the republican forces swept through Abidjan between March 31 and the end of April, as fighting continued following Gbagbo's arrest.
Amnesty International also warned, towards the end of last month, that reprisal attacks are still being committed by Ouattara’s forces. Statements collected by an Amnesty delegation indicated a systematic and targeted series of killings committed by uniformed republican forces, who executed hundreds of men on political and ethnic grounds."
http://barnabasfund.org/US/News/News-analysis/Brothers-crucified-by-Ouattara-forces-in-Ivory-Coast.html"This is just one of the many atrocities that have been committed as fighting... more
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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - President Alassane Ouattara called on all fighters to put down their arms now that the longtime strongman has been captured after his refusal to cede power sparked violence leaving bodies piled at morgues.
More than 1 million civilians fled their homes and untold numbers were killed in the more than four-month power struggle between the two rivals. The standoff threatened to re-ignite a civil war in the world's largest cocoa producer, once divided in two by a civil war nearly a decade ago.ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - President Alassane Ouattara called on all fighters to put down... more
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ptr23
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10 months ago
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On Monday, Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Côte d'Ivoire, was arrested at his home by Ivorian forces following a four-month standoff that left hundreds of people dead, and generated hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons.
As French helicopters hovered over his residence, pro-Ouattara forces carried a 'quick and professional' arrest, according to Ivory Coast UN Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba. Gbagbo signaled his surrender with a white handkerchief, and as he left the building, he was seen on television declaring 'the fighting is over'. According to the UN, Laurent Gbagbo is now being held by Ouattara forces, and Mr. Bamba described him as alive and healthy, and will be brought to justice for crimes he committed. For his own safety, his location was undisclosed, however, later in the day, we learned that Gbagbo, his wife, and several advisers had been brought to the Golf Hotel which has been used by Ouattara as his party's headquarters since the election results.On Monday, Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Côte d'Ivoire, was arrested... more
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News that he was being held was broken by a Gbagbo aide and confirmed by France's ambassador and forces loyal to his rival Alassane Ouattara.
French tanks earlier advanced on the presidential residence in Abidjan.
Mr Gbagbo has been refusing to cede power to Mr Ouattara after losing November's presidential election.
There were conflicting accounts about how Mr Gbagbo had been captured, with France's ambassador saying he had been taken by troops loyal to Mr Ouattara.
A spokesman for Mr Ouattara told Reuters that Mr Gbagbo had been taken to the city's Golf Hotel, where Mr Ouattara himself has been staying.
UN peacekeepers have accused Gbabgo forces of endangering the civilian population, and had asked French troops in Ivory Coast to act against the defiant leader's heavy weapons.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13039825News that he was being held was broken by a Gbagbo aide and confirmed by France's... more
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French ground troops have entered the centre of the main Ivory Coast city of Abidjan for the fist time as incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo refuses to quit.French ground troops have entered the centre of the main Ivory Coast city of Abidjan... more
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ptr23
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It is now Sunday, April 10th, and Laurent Gbagbo's residence has been bombarded by NATO and French forces, 'obeying' a directive by UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon to once again use 'all necessary measures' to prevent more bloodshed in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan, and neutralize Gbagbo's heavy weapons.
Five helicopters originating from a French airbase attacked the presidential palace twice. Smoke was seen rising from the area according to reporters.
However, according to a UN spokesman, helicopters flying the missions were targeting Gbagbo's heavy weapons which are being used against civilians rather than Gbagbo himself.It is now Sunday, April 10th, and Laurent Gbagbo's residence has been bombarded... more
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Sarkozy and Bernard-Henri Lévy, the Jewish philosopher who urged the President of France to bomb Libya on bogus humanitarian claims. Levy has a history of demanding Western military intervention in such places as Bosnia and Darfur. With America’s Neocons clearly quite up to the task of making the Iraq venture happen, he chose to posture against its legality.
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Not even George W Bush could have hoped to get away with six simultaneous wars. Yet Nicolas Sarkozy seems to be thriving on them. We French have troops in Mali, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Somalia – and, most visibly, over Libya and in Ivory Coast.
Cynics will argue that Sarkozy is a gambler, staking his re-election next year on the throw of the military dice. But even though he’s wildly unpopular, and a political calculator nonpareil, the truth is that Sarko is also showing his own peculiar brand of sincerity
What saved Sarko’s blushes was Col Gaddafi’s bloody repression of the Libyan revolt. This offered Sarkozy – and France – an overdue opportunity to take a principled stance. And the operation’s unlikely mastermind was one of France’s unique contributions to both fashion and global politics: Bernard-Henri Lévy, the battling philosopher with a line in human rights advocacy and designer shirts.Sarkozy and Bernard-Henri Lévy, the Jewish philosopher who urged the President... more
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But we invaded another oil-rich Muslim nation on bogus humanitarian claims?
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The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday it uncovered signs of a massacre committed against supporters of Laurent Gbagbo in western Ivory Coast.
A political stalemate simmering since November is pushing Ivory Coast closer to civil war. Gbagbo is refusing to step down despite international support for rival candidate Alassane Ouattara.
U.N. and French military raids forced Gbagbo to flee to an underground bunker at a presidential palace in Abidjan and attempts to negotiate his surrender have failed.
The human rights agency said it recovered 244 bodies from the western town of Duekoue, making the body count the highest since the November vote. U.N. groups last week said the death toll in Duekoue was more than 800. Many of the victims are thought to be from a group that is considered traditional supporters of Gbagbo, CNN International reports.
Valerie Amos, a U.N. undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, recounted tales of dead bodies, executions and mass displacement during a recent visit to Ivory Coast.But we invaded another oil-rich Muslim nation on bogus humanitarian claims?
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Forces opposed to Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo have launched a final assault on the presidential residence where he is holed up, reports say.Forces opposed to Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo have launched a final assault on... more
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On Wednesday, Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara, who has been internationally recognized as the legitimate president of the country ordered his forces to enter the building where Laurent Gbagbo has been hiding for the last two days, refusing to surrender and apparently still not willing to recognize the legitimacy of his presidential opponent.
According to French press, Gbagbo's residence was heavily shelled early this morning, and a close associate of Gbagbo stated that this latest assault was an assassination attempt, though Ouattara's orders explicitly stated not to kill him, but rather seize him and bring him to justice.
On Tuesday, both NATO and French forces who had joined the rebels in an attempt to stop the bloodshed declared a cease fire and were expecting Gbagbo to surrender. Laurent Gbagbo is still under the impression that in order for the country to regain some normalcy, that he and Ouattara need to talk.On Wednesday, Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara, who has been internationally... more
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ABIDJAN, April 6 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara on Wednesday stormed the residence of incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo who has refused to cede power, a spokeswoman for Ouattara forces told Reuters.
"Yes they (Ouattara forces) are in the process of entering the residence to seize Gbagbo, they have not taken him yet, but they are in the process, they are in the building," Affousy Bamba told Reuters.
Gbagbo has defied calls to give up the presidency after election results in November - verified by the UN - showed rival Alessane Ouattara won.
"I won the election and I'm not negotiating my departure," he told French TV station LCI from a bunker at the presidential palace in the commerical capital Abidjan.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE7350U220110406ABIDJAN, April 6 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Ivory Coast presidential claimant... more
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The Ivory Coast's leader Laurent Gbagbo has denied widespread reports he is surrendering after troops loyal to his rival surrounded his home in Abidjan.
Speaking by phone from his bunker, he said his military were only negotiating a truce and insisted he had won November's presidential election.
Troops loyal to the internationally recognised winner, Alassane Ouattara, swept into Abidjan earlier this week.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12981942The Ivory Coast's leader Laurent Gbagbo has denied widespread reports he is... more
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According to the United Nations, Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was holed up in the basement of his residence in Abidjan, negotiating the terms of his departure. He was surrounded by Pro-Ouattara forces which had arrived for the 'final assault' this morning. Alassane Ouattara has been recognized by the international community as the legitimate president of Cote d'Ivoire following the elections which took place on November 28, 2010.
Since that time, Gbagbo refused to step down and never conceded defeat. The post election crisis brought months of bloody fighting leaving hundreds dead; the last few days, intense fighting ensued between Gbagbo loyalists and United Nations and French troops which backed Ouattara's forces. Weapons fell silent in the Ivory Coast capital while the world waits for Gbagbo to leave. What remains to be seen is whether the so-called 'father of the nation' will stay in his country, or choose exile.
Deciding to leave will not be enough for Laurent Gbagbo; both Paris and the United Nations require him to sign a document in which he formally relinquishes power and recognizes Alassane Ouattara as legitimate president of Cote d'Ivoire.According to the United Nations, Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo was holed up in the... more
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Ivory Coast's incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo is "negotiating his surrender" following UN helicopter assaults earlier today.
France says three generals loyal to Ivory Coast's besieged president are negotiating terms for their surrender in return for guarantees of safety for the presiendent and themselves.
France's foreign minister Alain Juppe said: "We are on the brink of convincing him to leave power."
Gbagbo is reportedly hiding with his family in the basement bunker of his residence in the main city, Abidjan.
Overnight United Nations and French helicopters conducted an operation to destroy weapons belonging to Gbagbo's forces after civilians had apparently been shelled by his troops.
The backstory to all of this is that Gbagbo had refused to leave office even though the Ivorian election commission declared him the loser of November's run-off vote with UN and nternationally-recognised winner Alessanne Ouattara.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the air attacks were not a declaration of war on Gbagbo, but were ordered to defend civilians.Four million people are still trapped by the fighting in Abidjan, a city that has descended into anarchy since pro-Ouattara forces launched their assault five days ago.
In the west of Ivory Coast, a UN team is continuing its investigation into an alleged "massacre" of civilians in Duekoue. Aid agencies have reported finding as many as 800 bodies in the town which was seized by Ouattara's fighters a week ago.
The UN has put the preliminary death toll at 330. It says 220 were killed by pro-Ouattara forces, and 110 by Gbagbo's troops.
Sources: Sky News and BBCIvory Coast's incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo is "negotiating his... more
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Laurent Gbagbo and the problems with Ivory Coast in 2004 (like you thought this just started, didn't you?)Laurent Gbagbo and the problems with Ivory Coast in 2004 (like you thought this just... more
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Presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara’s forces battled loyalists of incumbent Laurent Gbagbo on Friday after attacking his Abidjan residence and seizing control of Ivory Coast’s state televisionPresidential claimant Alassane Ouattara’s forces battled loyalists of incumbent... more
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