June 01, 2005, 15:45
Armed men killed at least 41 people on the outskirts of Ivory Coast's western cocoa town of Duekoue, shooting, knifing and setting fire to their victims and torching their homes, the army said today.
Communal and ethnic violence is common in Duekoue, which is at the heart of a region where a civil war has exacerbated decades-old ethnic tensions.
"It's 41 dead, shot or knifed, and 11 (of them) were burnt," said Jules Yao Yao, the army spokesperson, adding 64 people were wounded in the attack.
An army commander in the capital Yamoussoukro, east of Duekoue, said clashes between rival ethnic groups started at about 2am (0200 GMT) today. He said paramilitary police reinforcements were being sent to the area.
Those killed today were members of the Guere local tribe and lived in Guitrozon and Petit Duekoue, two villages on the edge of town. Witnesses said homes were smashed and burnt, with petrol canisters lying outside the ruins. It was not immediately clear what triggered the latest attack in the world's top cocoa grower, which has been divided by civil war since rebels tried to oust the president in September 2002 and seized the north. - Reuters
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