Ivory Coast opposition denounces 'arbitrary arrest' of 6 party members
Sébastien Dano Djédjé, the executive president of the African Peoples' Party–Côte d'Ivoire, or PPA-CI, the party of former President Laurent Gbagbo, said during a news conference Sunday that the party members were 'abducted and taken to unknown locations' overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
Among them are party members from Youpougon, a suburb of the capital Abdijan, where armed attackers torched a bus and assaulted police days before, he said.
Interior Minister Vagondo Diomandé released a video to a televion news broadcast Sunday showing a man identifying himself as a PPA-CI member confessing involvement in the attack and saying he acted on the party's behalf with 15 others.
The confession was obtained legally, Diomandé said, rebuffing PPA-CI claims that party members were illegally arrested.
'In our country, no arrests are made arbitrarily,' he said. 'The ministry ensures due legal proceedings for all offenses, ending the era of summary and arbitrary detentions that once marred our nation.'
The PPA-CI condemned the bus attack and denied involvement.
Ivory Coast is set to hold a presidential election Oct. 12. Ouattara, who has been in power since 2011, is likely to stay in office with little or no challenge from a weakened opposition.
Dissent has grown in the West African nation, fueled by the exclusion of main opposition candidates from the voter roll, including the PPA-CI's Laurent Gbabgo and the president's most prominent rival, Tidjane Thiam.
Ivory Coast elections have previously been fraught with tension and violence. When Ouattara announced his bid for a third term in 2020, several people were killed in the ensuing violence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Almost 300 arrested in ‘week-long crackdown' on asylum seeker illegal working
Almost 300 people have been arrested in a "week-long crackdown" on asylum seekers illegally working for delivery app firms. Officers targeting suspected illegal workers in Hillingdon, the borough with highest concentration of migrant hotels in London, as well as Dumfries in Scotland and Birmingham stopped 1,780 people. During Operation Equalize in West London, officers arrested seven Indian nationals, the Home Office said. Five were detained because of the action on Tuesday, July 22. Across the country some 280 people were arrested, with 53 now having their asylum support reviewed. The Government said this could result in their support being suspended or withdrawn. The Home Office described the operation as a "nationwide intensification week" targeting illegal working hotspots, with a focus on the gig economy and people working as delivery riders. It comes after claims in June that there was 'clear evidence' of migrants working illegally for the food delivery firms while living in asylum hotels in London. Immigration enforcement teams are set to receive £5million from the £100million in funding already announced for border security, aimed at increasing visits by officers in these areas over the coming months, the Home Office said. Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said: "Illegal working undermines our border security and we're cracking down hard on it. "That's why we have intensified our enforcement activity right across the UK to crack down on those who think they can evade immigration and employment laws in the UK. " As well as the arrests, 51 businesses including car washes and restaurants were issued with penalty notices that could see them handed hefty fines of up to £60,000 per worker if they are found to have employed someone without the right to work in Britain. Eddy Montgomery, enforcement director at the Home Office, said officers were taking action "around the clock" against "those who think they can get away with working illegally". He added: 'I welcome the additional funding which will allow us to strengthen our enforcement efforts against illegal working further, to ensure those fuelling it are caught.' Asylum seekers in the UK are normally barred from working while their claim is being processed, though permission can be applied for after a year of waiting. Officials had indicated there would be an increase in work to target areas of suspected activity, as ministers hope to tackle the "pull factors" attracting migrants to the UK. It comes after the Government announced it would share information about asylum hotel locations with food delivery firms, such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, in a bid to disrupt hotspots. The gig economy firms have also said they will ramp up facial verification and fraud checks over the coming months to prevent people working as riders without permission. The operation was also supported by police forces across the UK, with officers seizing 71 vehicles throughout the week, including 58 e-bikes, as well as £8,000 in cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Around £460,000 in suspected illegal cigarettes were also seized.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UK arrests 280 in crackdown on illegal delivery riders
LONDON (Reuters) -British authorities arrested almost one in five people they checked in a week-long crackdown on migrants working illegally as delivery riders last month, the government's interior ministry said on Saturday. Immigration enforcement officers stopped and questioned 1,780 individuals between July 20 and 27 and 280 people were arrested, the interior ministry said, adding asylum support was being reviewed for 53 of those detained. The operation was part of a push by the government to tackle illegal migration which also includes new legal requirements for companies to verify workers' immigration status. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure to show voters he can counter illegal immigration with support rising for Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. "This government is making sure rules are respected and enforced," border security minister Angela Eagle said. As well as the arrests, civil penalty notices were issued to 51 businesses, including car washes and restaurants, which could face fines for employing illegal workers, the ministry said. Police seized 71 vehicles, including 58 e-bikes, and confiscated 8,000 pounds ($10,751.20) in cash and 460,000 pounds worth of illicit cigarettes. The interior ministry said immigration enforcement teams would receive a 5 million-pound funding boost for the work tackling illegal working. Last month, the government struck a new deal with food delivery firms, including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, to share information aimed at preventing illegal working. In the 12 months to July, Britain returned 35,052 people with no right to remain, up 13% on the previous 12 months. France this week agreed to accept some undocumented migrants who arrive in Britain by small boats with Britain accepting from France an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with family ties in the country. ($1 = 0.7441 pounds)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UK arrests 280 in crackdown on illegal delivery riders
LONDON (Reuters) -British authorities arrested almost one in five people they checked in a week-long crackdown on migrants working illegally as delivery riders last month, the government's interior ministry said on Saturday. Immigration enforcement officers stopped and questioned 1,780 individuals between July 20 and 27 and 280 people were arrested, the interior ministry said, adding asylum support was being reviewed for 53 of those detained. The operation was part of a push by the government to tackle illegal migration which also includes new legal requirements for companies to verify workers' immigration status. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure to show voters he can counter illegal immigration with support rising for Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. "This government is making sure rules are respected and enforced," border security minister Angela Eagle said. As well as the arrests, civil penalty notices were issued to 51 businesses, including car washes and restaurants, which could face fines for employing illegal workers, the ministry said. Police seized 71 vehicles, including 58 e-bikes, and confiscated 8,000 pounds ($10,751.20) in cash and 460,000 pounds worth of illicit cigarettes. The interior ministry said immigration enforcement teams would receive a 5 million-pound funding boost for the work tackling illegal working. Last month, the government struck a new deal with food delivery firms, including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat, to share information aimed at preventing illegal working. In the 12 months to July, Britain returned 35,052 people with no right to remain, up 13% on the previous 12 months. France this week agreed to accept some undocumented migrants who arrive in Britain by small boats with Britain accepting from France an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with family ties in the country. ($1 = 0.7441 pounds)
