Ivory Coast: an urgent appeal to the EU institutions
Roberto Malini to EveryOne Group
Mar 21
Rome, March 21, 2011
to:
the European Parliament
the European Commission
the Council of the European Union
copy to:
the Secretary-General of the United Nations
the United Nations Security Council
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
the World Health Organization (WHO)
the Assembly of the African Union
the Commission of the African Union
the Executive Council of the African Union
Civil war broke out in Ivory Coast after the elections last November. EveryOne Group and the Facebook group "Costa D'Avorio, la voce della diaspora, per il ritorno alla pace" are convinced that several mistakes were made by the international community concerning the stance taken towards the political situation in Ivory Coast. In particular, we believe that a recount of the votes would have avoided exasperating the faction of the outgoing President Gbagbo. The ascertained irregularities would have justified such a procedure. It is too late to go back now and NGOs are reporting human rights violations by both those loyal to Gbagbo, and by the forces that support Ouattara. Both politicians are now responsible for the suffering of the Ivorian people.
EveryOne Group and the Facebook group "Costa D'Avorio, la voce della diaspora, per il ritorno alla pace" also report an even more tragic humanitarian situation caused by the embargo sanctioned by the EU against the outgoing President Gbagbo. Since the embargo is total, the measure prevents essential medicines entering the country, resulting in the continual loss of innocent lives. The World Health Organization (WHO) has itself expressed concern about the spread of cholera, malaria and yellow fever. AIDS is also widespread in Ivory Coast and doctors need medicines to fight the virus. The total embargo also deprives the children of Ivory Coast of the food they need for survival. Child malnutrition is one of the main causes of mortality in the country, as reported recently by UNICEF. EveryOne Group and the Facebook group "Costa D'Avorio, la voce della diaspora, per il ritorno alla pace" are launching an urgent appeal to the European Parliament requesting that the food necessary to sustain the most vulnerable members of the population, and medicines to combat the diseases that are decimating the people of Ivory Coast, be excluded from the embargo. It is important that the international institutions take immediate action to allow the supply of medicines back into Ivory Coast. This is the only way to prevent this massacre of innocent people, something intolerable for human civilization. To deprive people of drugs and food necessary for survival is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and all legal and moral standards that modern democratic societies are founded on.
For EveryOne Group, co-presidents Roberto Malini, Matteo Pegoraro, Dario Picciau
For the Facebook Group ""Ivory Coast, the voice of the diaspora, for a return of peace", Marilina Lucia Castiglioni, and Mohamed Konare Dit Shata
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