20110102
reuters

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - A U.N. investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Ivory Coast will be fruitless without the cooperation of authorities loyal to incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, an official in his administration said on Sunday.

The country was plunged into crisis when Gbagbo refused to step down after a disputed election in November, leading to an outbreak of violence in a nation still divided since a civil war in 2002 and 2003.

The electoral commission, world leaders and the U.N. General Assembly have recognised Gbagbo's rival Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the election.

"The Secretary-General told President Ouattara that he was alarmed by the reports of egregious human rights violations," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement, referring to a telephone conversation between U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and Ouattara on Saturday.

Ouattara's supporters say they are being hunted down and killed or kidnapped at night by pro-Gbagbo forces. The U.N. has put the death toll from the violence at more than 170, the United States at over 200.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast, known as UNOCI, said last month pro-Gbagbo forces were blocking access to what could be a mass grave near Abidjan. U.N. diplomats told Reuters UNOCI was still barred from the site.

"He (Ban) said UNOCI had been instructed to do everything possible to gain access to the affected areas both for prevention and to investigate and record the violations so that those responsible will be held accountable," Nesirky said.

The cabinet director of Gbagbo's Interior Ministry, Vehi Tokpa, told Reuters by telephone such an investigation would go nowhere without the cooperation of the Ivorian security forces.