GENEVA, Jumada Al-Awwal 10, 1432 / April 14, 2011, SPA -- Bodies litter the streets in parts of Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan and mass arrests have followed the end of months of fighting in the West African country, the Red Cross said on Thursday, according to Reuters. A day after President Alassane Ouattara promised to restore security and prosperity to a nation broken by civil war, the International Committee for the Red Cross said there was evidence of widespread looting in the west of the country and "a massive inflow" of aid is needed. Ouattara's rival Laurent Gbagbo was captured in Abidjan by forces loyal to Ouattara earlier this week, ending a power struggle that followed Gbagbo's refusal to accept that he lost last November's presidential election. The fighting that followed cost thousands of lives, uprooted more than a million, and wrecked the economy of the world's number one cocoa exporter. "People are starting to obtain supplies, but not in every part of the city (Abidjan)," said Dominique Liengme, the head of the ICRC delegation in Abidjan. "Many who are injured or ill still cannot go to hospital because of the security situation, or because they lack transportation. Medical facilities that are still functioning are overwhelmed, and they lack supplies and personnel. In several parts of the city, bodies still litter the streets." -- SPA 19:44 LOCAL TIME 16:44 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/883453
مشاركة :