The Ivorian authorities are returning, this Wednesday, March 8 in the morning, the bodies of victims of violence committed in March 2011, during the post-election crisis of 2010-2011. Three localities – Guiglo, Blolequin and Toulepleu – are involved in this ceremony, designed to mark an act of national reconciliation.
With our special correspondent in Guiglo, Bineta Diagne
In all, 47 bodies and human remains of victims of violence must be returned to their families this Wednesday, March 8. These bodies had been exhumed, for some in 2015, then transferred to Abidjan, for the purposes of investigations into the various clashes that had occurred at the time of the post-election crisis.
Since then, these bodies were kept at the Ivoire burial (Ivosep) in Treichville. They had to be transported by road. Although the autopsy reports were not communicated to the families of these victims, this restitution is perceived as a gesture allowing ” residents to mourn “, estimates Amadou Coulibaly, the minister spokesperson of the government.
Reconciliation process
When moving in Duekoue on November 15, 2022, the Prime Minister, Patrick Achi, had also announced that the families would receive compensation from the State. To date, 4,410 beneficiaries of deceased persons have already received 1 million CFA francs (about 1,500 euros) from the government, during previous programs. ” These statements have reopened discussions on this taboo subject. “, notes an observer.
For the government, these restitutions fall within the scope of reconciliation. They are also a way of turning this dark page in the country’s history.