Ivory Coast accuses 2 French execs of poisoning Sept 19, 2006
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) -- Authorities have arrested and charged two executives of a Dutch commodities trader with poisoning after toxic waste the company shipped to Ivory Coast caused seven deaths in the West African country's largest city, a government official said.
The waste was shipped to Abidjan last month by a vessel chartered by commodities trader Trafigura Beheer BV and dumped -- apparently illegally -- across the city. The Dutch company said it was dumped by a local contractor.
The contractor named by Trafigura, a small Ivorian company called Tommy, did not respond to repeated calls seeking comment. No one was available at Tommy's headquarters, a two-story building in a poor residential neighborhood of Abidjan, when a reporter visited over the weekend.
A government permit from July describes Tommy as a specialist in draining, maintaining and refueling ships.
Hospitals have provided free treatment to 44,000 people in the past few weeks, many of them complaining of nausea, headaches and breathing difficulties caused by the foul-smelling substance, the health ministry said.
Seven have died from exposure to the waste since residents began to complain of a smell of rotten eggs hanging in the air a few weeks ago, the ministry said.
Ali Yeo, a Justice Ministry official, said the two Trafigura executives -- both French -- went before a judge Monday afternoon and were charged with poisoning and breaking toxic waste laws. They were sent to prison.
In a statement, Trafigura said it was "very shocked" by the arrest of the two men -- company Director Claude Dauphin and West Africa Manager Jean-Pierre Valentini -- and said it had not been informed of any charges against them.
"The two men, who were part of a humanitarian mission from the company, were originally stopped as they were about to board a plane on Saturday," the statement said. It said the men were held back to "to help the authorities as witnesses in the ongoing investigations" and said the meeting with the judge had been voluntary.
Trafigura Beheer has said the cargo unloaded by the Panama-registered tanker consisted of residue washings, or slops, from a gasoline-blend stock. The company said it asked Ivorian authorities to dispose of the cargo correctly.
U.N. experts have said the waste contains the potentially dangerous chemical hydrogen sulfide.
A French waste removal company began a cleanup operation Sunday at the main garbage dump, the worst of 14 dump sites affected in Abidjan. Removing the waste was expected to take two weeks.
Mounting public anger over the fumes resulted in the resignation of the government this month. The ministers of transport and environment have been replaced in the new 36-member Cabinet that was appointed over the weekend. Most other ministers were reappointed to their same posts.
Protesters beat ex-minister after toxic dumping Sept 15, 2006
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) -- Protesters angry over toxic waste dumping blamed for six deaths set fire to a port official's home Friday, beat a former Ivory Coast transport minister and blockaded streets in Abidjan, the country's commercial center.
The waste -- apparently dumped illegally in late August around the city's residential areas -- sent thousands of people to hospitals and prompted the resignation of the entire Cabinet.
After Abidjan residents noticed an offensive stench from a black substance, Trafigura Beheer BV, a Dutch-based commodities company, said a local contractor may have improperly disposed of a byproduct from a fuel shipment sent to the West African nation.
People accused the government of not responding and began protesting last week by blocking entrances to garbage dumps, leaving trash to pile up outside. The situation turned violent Friday as chanting demonstrators closed the road to the main garbage site with burning tires.
Young protesters, many wearing white dust masks and carrying sticks, recognized former Transport Minister Innocent Kobenan Anaky in a car, dragged him out and beat him, said Joel N'Guessan, vice president of Anaky's party. Anaky managed to escape with injuries to his face.
"They attacked him with anything they could find," N'Guessan said. "Then they burnt his car."
Protesters also burned the home of the general manager of Abidjan's port, Marcel Gossio, who was suspended in the dumping scandal. A local journalist said Gossio was not home at the time.
"People want to breathe. They have the impression that nobody is doing anything, while this is a national catastrophe," said a young protester, who gave his name only as Major.
About 9,000 people have sought treatment at health facilities in the past few weeks, with 19 people requiring hospitalization, according to the Health Ministry. Spokesman Jean Denoman said six people had died from exposure to the waste.
Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny said Thursday that he launched an investigation into the dumping and suspended two other high-ranking officials -- the general manager of customs and the governor of Abidjan district.
Mounting public anger also brought the resignation of the postwar, power-sharing government last week. The government has been struggling to reunify the country -- split between rebel and government supporters since an attempted coup in 2002 prompted a rebellion.
Banny, who remains in office, was expected to announce a new Cabinet by week's end.
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the waste dumping, including three customs officials and a high-ranking official at the Transport Ministry, according to local news reports.
"We haven't had such a scandal for quite awhile," said Helen Perivier, who campaigns for toxic waste restrictions for Greenpeace.
Perivier said while there was a long history of richer countries using the developing world as dumping grounds for waste, strict international laws adopted in the mid-1990s have decreased such activity.
A U.N. report issued Thursday said up to 14 open-air sites in Abidjan have been contaminated by the toxic waste. Previously, 11 sites had been reported contaminated.
Among the substances found in the petrochemical waste were hydrogen sulfide and hydrocarbons, which can be harmful to humans and the environment, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Three experts from the World Health Organization are to visit Abidjan's hospitals to evaluate the health consequences and establish how many people have been affected, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said. People are suffering from respiratory problems, headaches, vomiting and nose bleeding, she said.