ICC to investigate I Coast war crimes

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked judges for permission to investigate war crimes in the Ivory Coast, said the office of prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Thursday. “If the Judges grant the authorization, the Office of the Prosecutor will open an independent and impartial investigation into the crimes committed”, said the statement. UN investigators have found that at least 3000 people were killed in violence following the highly disputed presidential election last November.  The ICC expressed concern that both internationally recognized leader Alassane Ouattara and his now-ousted rival Laurent Gbagbo waged bloody massacres throughout Côte d’Ivoire.   Outtaro and Ghagbo have blamed each other’s fighters for the whole scale killing of several hundred people that took place in the western town of Duekoue. Outtara has claimed that only the Ghagbo is being investigated by the ICC. According to the statement from the prosecutor, “President Ouattara sent a letter urging the Prosecution to open the investigation and he is working closely with the regional organization ECOWAS to make sure that crimes do not go unpunished in Côte d’Ivoire.” However, in the investigation application, the prosecutor cited reports that showed that both “pro-Gbagbo forces and pro-Ouattara forces committed crimes falling under the jurisdiction of the ICC.” “The identification of the persons who bear the greatest criminal responsibility for ordering or facilitating the most serious of these crimes is the main objective of the envisaged investigation.” Outtara, backed by most of the international community, finally took power in April, after capturing Ghagbo in a fierce battle.  Ghagbo had refused to step down from the presidency, despite UN results showing he had lost the election.