Peter DiCampo
Peter DiCampo (b. 1984) is an American photographer who divides his time between Africa and the Americas. He launched his freelance career in 2007 while...
Read more ›Ivory Coast
on 10 October 2011Peter DiCampo arrived in western Ivory Coast in the wake of two
massacres and the midst of a dire refugee situation. Unable to
reveal people's identities for fear of continued reprisal violence,
DiCampo recorded the anonymous testimonies of survivors.
Six months of heavy fighting followed Ivory Coast's contested 2010
presidential elections. The international community put their
support behind candidate Alassane Ouattara, even assisting in the
capture of former President Laurent Gbagbo. Ouattara was sworn in
as president in May 2011 - but these testimonies reveal that both
sides committed grave atrocities.
Last week, Human Rights Watch released a report detailing the war
crimes of both factions.
"The Ouattara government has taken noteworthy steps to prosecute
leaders of the former regime, including Gbagbo himself, against
whom there is credible evidence of serious crimes," said Daniel
Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "But the pursuit of
justice is essential to victims on both sides who saw their loved
ones killed, or houses burned, not just a tool for the
victors."
The report can be viewed here:
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2011/10/05/they-killed-them-it-was-nothing
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