Cote d'Ivoire's Ouattara denies endorsing brutality

WASHINGTON (AP):

Cote d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara has said he knows nothing about brutal killings committed by his forces the day after his inauguration and defended a senior officer accused of separate atrocities as one of the country's best soldiers.

Ouattara, whose election victory in November was followed by a violent, four-month-long stand-off with the country's former ruler, told The Associated Press in an interview last Friday that all those found to have committed atrocities would be punished, no matter their position.

"I am against impunity," he said.

Intimidation continues

But a report by Amnesty International released last Wednesday accuses Ouattara's Republican Forces of continuing to carry out violence and intimidation against ethnic groups perceived as having supported his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo. A different report by Human Rights Watch released in June alleges that forces loyal to Ouattara killed up to 149 people believed to be Gbagbo supporters.

The rights group cited a witness who said that a commander loyal to Ouattara, Cherif Ousmane, ordered the execution of 29 detainees. Two others said they saw Ousmane in a car that "disposed of the tortured and executed body of an infamous militia leader".

"This cannot be true," Ouattara said. "Cherif Ousmane is one of the best soldiers."

In fact, he added, soldiers who serve under Ousmane are known for being well-trained, polite and helpful.