BY LOU SIFA

The human toll of last week’s violent demonstrations in several towns across Cote d’Ivoire to protest outgoing president Alassane Ouattara’s plan to run for a third term is higher than initially thought, and the two main political parties, Ouattara’s RHDP and former president Henri Konan Bédié’s PDCI-RDA, are blaming each other for the violence.

According to a press release on Friday by the office of the minister in charge of security and civil protection, Gen. Vagondo Diomandé, the violent demonstrations resulted in five deaths and 104 wounded. The wounded include 12 security forces and 92 civilians. The minister also says several public and commercial buildings, including a police station, the headquarters of the two main political parties, and private residences have also been destroyed.

The developments, however, did not stop President Ouattara’s party from announcing on Thursday, in a news conference, that the head of state will formally accept the party’s nomination next Thursday. The announcement was made by Adama Bictogo, the party’s executive secretary, who squarely blamed the chairman of the rival PDCI-RDA, former president Henri Konan Bédié, for the violence.

Adama Bictogo says:

“Bédié has to take responsibility, for the events took place in his town, Daoukro, instead of making us believe, in a press release, that the security forces did not control the crowds.”

For his part, the former president had denounced

“organized attacks by mobs coming from elsewhere to attack the peaceful militants from Ferkessédougou, Daoukro, Daloa, Oumé and other towns in Côte d’Ivoire who were simply acting for the noble purpose of preserving the inviolability of our fundamental law.”

Former President Bédié, who will run against his one-time staunch ally Ouattara, also denounced the “arbitrary arrests” and

“called on the head of state, the guardian of the public liberties, and on Ivorian military authorities, to end those attacks and ensure the protection of goods and people willing to freely express their opinions.”