[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 47 (Monday, April 4, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2073-S2075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COTE D'IVOIRE
Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, a few minutes ago, I talked at some length
about a very significant amendment that is going to be coming up, and
that is to take jurisdiction away from the Environmental Protection
Agency having to do with cap and trade, something they were unable to
do legislatively and they are going to try to do through regulations at
the Environmental Protection Agency. I already talked about that issue.
There is something that has not been mentioned on the floor of the
Senate that I think is significant. Surprisingly enough, hardly anyone
is even aware that it is going on. We are all concerned. We hear every
day about the atrocities that are committed in Libya and about the
people who are being mowed down. What they do not realize is that is
not the only place that is going on.
I have to share, as much as I hate to do it because I am disagreeing
with our State Department when I say this, but I have to say it because
somebody has to say it. Right now, the potential of having large
numbers of people tortured and murdered in Cote d'Ivoire is taking
place. Let me set the stage so people will be aware of it.
I have had occasion to be in Cote d'Ivoire--some people call it the
Ivory Coast--in west Africa. It is an area where a lot of the slave
trade came from to this country. It is a place that has been led by a
President named Laurent Gbagbo for the last 10 years. I first became
acquainted with the country before he was President of Cote d'Ivoire.
In fact, his wife Simone--she is now his wife; she was not his wife at
that time--was a member of Parliament. I sat through what happened in
2002 when there was a real effort primarily by one individual--his name
is Alassane Ouattara from the northern part of Cote d'Ivoire--charging
against him. It is kind of interesting because Cote d'Ivoire is one
country, but in the north, they have primarily the Muslim area and in
the south and east primarily the Christian element. There has been a
real effort for quite some time for the chosen one up there, who is
Alassane Ouattara, to defeat President Gbagbo.
Here is the problem. There is an election that took place a few
months ago. It appeared that Ouattara actually beat the incumbent
President, President Gbagbo. We were all concerned about whether this
was a straight election. I am going to tell you in a couple of minutes
why it was not but also try to call this to the attention of the
administration.
In January after the election took place, I wrote a letter to
Secretary Clinton, and I said: I wish to have you reevaluate--I am
going to have that letter at the conclusion of my remarks printed in
the Record--to look at this and evaluate this as to what actually went
on in that election and how it was rigged.
Ouattara tried to deny involvement in a mass slaughter that took
place a couple days ago. That was in a town called Duekoue. Duekoue is
in the southern part, an area that is very strongly in favor of
President Gbagbo. Somewhere between 300 and 1,000 people in that
western town of Duekoue were slaughtered with guns and machetes.
Mr. Ouattara and his people tried to deny their involvement in the
mass slaughter, but his forces took the town days earlier and the
Gbagbo forces were not even near the town. They left a week before this
happened. Do not believe me, but the Guardian, which is a British
newspaper, reported last night--I am going to quote from the newspaper:
The U.N. mission said traditional hunters, known as Dozos,
fought alongside Ouattara's forces and took part in killing
330 people in the western town of Duekoue. The International
Committee of the Red Cross said at least 800 people were
killed in intercommunal violence in Duekoue last week.
What we do not know is that 800 plus the 330, so roughly it is 1,000.
Guillaume Ngefa, deputy head of the human rights division
of the UN mission in Ivory Coast, blamed 220 of the deaths on
the pro-Ouattara forces.
The full article goes into a lot of detail.
Also, a BBC reporter at Duekoue wrote in the last 24 hours:
I spot four pigs eating something dark in a charred
courtyard. Standing by a newly dug mass grave, a U.N. soldier
from Morocco is choking with rage and grief. I ask him if any
of the dead are children. He nods and begins to sob, quietly,
into his facemask.
I repeat, the massacre was not caused by the Gbagbo forces but by the
Ouattara forces who had taken over the town. President Gbagbo has
called for a cease-fire repeatedly. I repeat that. He has called for a
cease-fire but the Ouattara forces have rejected it. Why?
This massacre could have been avoided if Ouattara had accepted
mediation through the African Union. On March 27, the African Union
sent former Cape Verde Foreign Minister Jose Brito to mediate between
Ouattara and Gbagbo. Gbagbo accepted the mediation. Ouattara did not.
I have been following the events closely in Cote d'Ivoire since last
fall, and after having spoken with various African dignitaries, I am
convinced there is a serious question as to whether Ouattara is the
legitimately elected President of Cote d'Ivoire.
I have received substantial evidence of massive voter fraud in the
rebel-held north of Cote d'Ivoire. That is the area from which Ouattara
comes. I have sent the evidence to Secretary Clinton on two occasions
spanning the last few months. One letter is where we actually have the
evidence of the number of votes that were stolen. In one letter I
pointed out--the last letter, which I will have printed in the Record--
the evidence which shows that Ouattara received 94,873 votes that were
listed on a tally sheet for one of the five regions in the rebel-held
north. Times this by four, and it comes very close to the margin of
votes that allegedly President Gbagbo lost. That is 400,000 votes.
If, indeed, a similar amount of voter fraud exists in these regions,
Gbagbo is the actual winner of the November 28 Presidential election.
That is too complicated. Look at it this way: In those five regions--
they do not call them precincts; some of the small ones they call
precincts, so it is a little confusing. In the first letter I sent, I
commented that Gbagbo, in what we would call a primary, had won
thousands of votes in each one of those five precincts up north.
However, in the primary runoff, he got zero. I suggest to you that is a
statistical impossibility. You cannot get zero after you had thousands
of votes.
In my letter to Secretary Clinton, I called for the United States to
support new elections there, but thus far those efforts have received
an inadequate response. Based on the news Ouattara has murdered some
1,000 people in Duekoue, I hope the United States will reconsider its
position and call for a new election.
This Wednesday, April 6, will mark the 17th anniversary of the 1994
Rwanda genocide. I went back for the anniversary of that genocide. I
have been
[[Page S2074]]
there many times before. We know that the U.N. Secretary General Kofi
Annan and others knew the extent of this violence early on but did
nothing about it. Now we know there can be another genocide occurring,
and we do know in advance. That is why the United States is going to
have to call for an immediate cease-fire to prevent Ouattara and his
rebel army from committing a mass slaughter of the Ivoirians,
especially the many youths with sticks and baseball bats who are
protecting President Gbagbo at the present time around the Presidential
palace.
You have to get this mental picture: They have these young kids
marching around. They do not have weapons. They are carrying baseball
bats and
2 x 4s.
I have also been told in the last half hour that U.N. helicopters--
U.N. peacekeeping helicopters--are firing on Gbagbo's military camp,
causing massive explosions. There could be some confusion on this
because two of the articles that came out in the last half hour--one
was talking about the French, who are kind of behind and supporting, of
course, Ouattara, that they are involved in this. The other says the
United Nations. I am not sure. One of the two is.
Lastly, I sent Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John
Kerry--by the way, I talked with him personally about this situation.
He is very concerned about it. I requested he convene a hearing as soon
as possible into the atrocities committed by forces loyal to rebel
leader Ouattara, as well as into what I believe were flawed elections
that gave legitimacy to his claim of the Presidency.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the two letters
sent to Secretary Clinton, along with the letter sent to Senator Kerry,
and the miscalculation of the election that I honestly in my heart
believe was stolen. This is the tabulation of the precincts. Add up the
precincts and in just one precinct, there was a mistake of over 85,000
votes--just in one precinct.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC, February 9, 2011.
Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton,
Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Secretary: I write regarding my grave concerns
over the conduct of the second round of voting in the
presidential election held in Cote d'Ivoire last November 28,
2010.
As you know, the Independent Electoral Commission of Cote
d'Ivoire announced the results of their counting of ballots
and declared Alassane Ouattara the winner. It is my
understanding of the Constitution of Cote d'Ivoire, however,
that it is the Constitutional Council of Cote d'Ivoire and
not the Electoral Commission which certifies and declares the
winner of presidential elections. I also understand that the
Electoral Commission announced the final vote tallies almost
16 hours after its constitutionally mandated time to report
such results. It seems that this election was not carried out
in accordance with the constitution of this country.
A second and more troubling aspect of this second round of
voting is the credible allegations of massive voter fraud--
amounting to several hundred thousand votes--in the rebel-
held north of Cote d'Ivoire. I am in receipt of evidence of
these allegations, and I have enclosed it for your review.
An example of the kinds of voter fraud allegations that you
will find in these attached materials are the tallies of
precincts where, in the first round of voting, President
Laurent Gbagbo received several thousand votes, but in the
second round he received zero votes. This prima facia
evidence of large scale voter fraud is very troubling.
Although the Obama Administration has recognized Alassane
Ouattara as the winner of the election over President Gbagbo,
I ask that you investigate these credible allegations of
massive voter fraud and reassess whether the United States
should continue to recognize Alassane Ouattara as the winner.
Equatorial Guinean President and new African Union Chairman
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has appointed a special panel
of five African country leaders to present recommendations to
the Union in a month's time on how to resolve this
presidential election crisis. This would be a good
opportunity for the U.S. to become involved in this
assessment and investigate these allegations. I would
recommend that serious thought be given to a recount of the
votes supervised by an internationally sanctioned
organization like the African Union, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe or even the Organization
of American States. I would further suggest that experienced
U.S. electoral organizations become involved like the
International Republican Institute, the National Democratic
Institute and the International Foundation for Electoral
Systems. A fair and impartial recounting of the votes might
be one way to end this crisis peacefully.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
James M. Inhofe,
U.S. Senator.
____
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC, March 29, 2011.
Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton,
Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Secretary: I write you again regarding my grave
concerns over the conduct of the second round of voting in
the presidential election held in Cote d'Ivoire last November
28, 2010. I also write to inform you that a new presidential
election should be held in Cote d'Ivoire. This is the only
way to prevent further bloodshed, stop a new civil war and
ensure a truly free and fair election.
As I stated in my letter of February 9, 2011, Cote
d'Ivoire's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) announced
the results of their counting of presidential ballots and
declared Alassane Ouattara the winner. Under the Constitution
of Cote d'Ivoire, however, it is the Constitutional Council
of Cote d'Ivoire and not the Electoral Commission which
certifies and declares the winner of presidential elections.
In addition, the Electoral Commission announced the final
vote tallies almost 16 hours after its constitutionally
mandated time to report such results. This most important
election phase was not carried out in accordance with the
constitution of this country.
A second troubling aspect of this second round of voting is
the credible allegations of massive voter fraud--amounting to
several hundred thousand votes--in the rebel-held north of
Cote d'Ivoire. I received evidence of these allegations and
sent it to you in my earlier letter, but have yet to receive
a reply.
The evidence included tallies of precincts where, in the
first round of voting, President Laurent Gbagbo received
several thousand votes, but in the second round he received
zero votes. This prima facia evidence of large scale voter
fraud I found very troubling.
In the 57 days since my last letter, I have spoken with
numerous officials on the ground during last year's
presidential election. This includes African leaders I met
with during my trip to this region last month. I have also
obtained new evidence of massive voter fraud in the rebel-
held north. Specifically, one exhibit (enclosed) is a copy of
an official regional electoral return document from the
Electoral Commission. It shows Ouattara receiving a total
149,598 from five northern cities. But when the total is
officially reported in the amount column (``Totaux'' column),
Ouattara receives 244,471; a difference of 94,873 votes!
I have been a frequent traveler to Africa for the past 15
years. I have visited Cote d'Ivoire nine times, the last
being June of 2010. I am probably the most knowledgeable
person about Africa in the U.S. Senate. From all the evidence
I now have gathered, I am convinced that it is mathematically
impossible for President Gbagbo to have lost the election by
several hundred thousand votes. And if a similar amount of
fraud exists in the other four regions of the rebel-held
north, Gbagbo is actually the winner of the presidential
election.
The hundreds of thousands of potential fraudulent ballots,
combined with the unconstitutional method in which the votes
were tallied and announced by the Independent Electoral
Commission, lead me to conclude that the election was not
free and fair. I also conclude that a new presidential
election should be held under international sanction and
supervision to ensure a free and fair election.
I am aware that my position is different from that of the
Obama Administration, which has recognized Alassane Ouattara
as the winner. I ask, however, that you change your position
in light of the evidence I have provided, and that you call
for a new election. Such a change would not be viewed as
inconsistent, but a wise reevaluation in light of new
evidence presented. It is also consistent with our American
dedication to the principle that democracy works best when it
works for all and not for some.
I recommend that the new election be supervised by
internationally sanctioned organizations like the African
Union or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe. I would further suggest that experienced U.S.
electoral organizations become involved like the
International Republican Institute, the National Democratic
Institute and the International Foundation for Electoral
Systems.
I am convinced that only though a new election will the
people of Cote d'Ivoire end the increasing bloodshed, stop
another civil war and ensure free and fair elections.
Sincerely,
James M. Inhofe,
U.S. Senator.
____
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC, April 4, 2011.
Hon. John F. Kerry,
Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: It is now clear, based on United Nations
reports coming from Cote d'Ivoire that mass killings have
occurred in the western town of Duekoue at the hands of
forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara. This calls
[[Page S2075]]
into question his legitimacy to lead that country. The
killing of innocent civilians must stop now before this
becomes another Rwanda.
In light of these facts, I request that you convene a
hearing as soon as possible into this atrocity committed by
forces loyal to rebel leader Ouattara, as well as into what I
believe were flawed elections that gave legitimacy to his
claim of the presidency.
Based on the evidence I have seen, and having spoken with
various African dignitaries, I brought this issue of
fraudulent elections in Cote d'Ivoire to the attention of
Secretary of State Clinton on two occasions spanning the past
few months. I called for the United States to support new
elections there, but thus far, these efforts have received an
inadequate response. Based on the news that Ouattara has
murdered 1,000 people in Duekoue, I hope the U.S. will
reconsider its position and that you will hold this hearing.
The United States must call for an immediate ceasefire to
prevent Ouattara and his rebel army from committing a mass
slaughter of Ivoirians, especially the hundreds of youth with
sticks and baseball bats, who have formed a human chain
around Gbagbo's residence and presidential palace.
I know your plate is full now regarding the situation in
Libya, but I know you are sensitive to this situation and
hope you will hold this hearing.
Sincerely,
James M. Inhofe,
U.S. Senator.
Mr. INHOFE. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant editor of the Daily Digest proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet.) Without objection, it is so
ordered.
____________________