Urgent action is needed to pressure the Ivorian regime for  Mr. Seri’s immediately release.

The courageous Ivorian peace campaigner DJCI† President Modeste Seri, was arbitrarily detained on January 17 by the Ivorian security police (DST) at their Abidjan headquarters. No charges have so far been made against him, yet Mr. Seri is still in detention, being wrongly implicated in an alleged 27 December coup attempt. Mr. Seri had voluntarily gone to DST to explain that he was not involved in this affair, so that DST would cease to make false claims about him, in connection with his being seen in a video shown on internet at a December meeting in Benin with the alleged coup mastermind, ex Army Sergeant IB. Mr. Seri wished to clarify to DST that his meeting with Mr. IB was in the context of his work for peace for his country which has let him to seek contact with all major actors in the current conflict. Mr. Seri maintains that the video is a coarse fabrication. No coup d’etat preparations took place before him at the time of his meetings. Besides, such events are not recorded on videos!

After 12 days incommunicado at DST (during which time his home was thoroughly searched without anything being found), Mr. Seri is now at the main Abidjan prison MACA, so far without visiting rights and without legal counsel. He is being treated in the same way as another 9 people arrested in connection with this alleged coup. Mr. Seri reiterates that he has nothing to do with any coup attempt and he should be released at once.

Looking at Modeste Seri’s record for the last 4 years, one can easily see that he is genuinely a man committed to peace, who is deeply concerned for the fate of his country. Mr. Seri is very critical of the catastrophic results of the group currently in power to which he had once belonged, before dissociating himself from them because he disapproved of their poor governance capacity.

Since 2004 Mr. Seri has been promoting a DJCI Peace Plan ( see www.cwps.org ), which was skeptical of the chances of success of the then popular Linas-Marcoussis Peace Plan promoted by various governments. His predictions proved right. The plan failed after 3 years time and huge expenses were wasted. He has also stated his disbelief in the sincerity of the parties to the current Ouagadougou Peace Agreement. He also expects it to fail. Indications so far suggest that unfortunately he will once again be proven right. His numerous statements over the last few years ( see www.cwps.org ) calling for a sincere commitment by the Ivorian political class to the search for a genuine peace are noted for their restraint and impartiality.

As Mr. Seri wrote in a statement due to be released the day of his arbitrary detention, and which has therefore remained unpublished, “our country is rapidly sliding to a major disaster. The current Kenyan difficulties will be small in comparison”… later adding “unless there is a deep renewal, the outcome of elections will be violently contested, as in Kenya.

Mr. Seri’s position is that the current political class, both government and opposition has failed. His central proposal is that an apolitical, technocrat transition government of professionally competent Ivorians of good morality, strongly supported by the international community should prepare the country for credible elections, after reconstructing the rapidly decaying institutions of the state and rebuilding its economic life. Also it is urgent to deeply change the current culture of ethnic exclusion, disrespect for the rule of law, injustice, nepotism, and corruption. Only after the technocrat administration has correctly done its job and Cote d’Ivoire has experienced deep healing, will credible elections be possible. Only then will elections serve to consolidate peace, and not become yet another factor of catastrophic division and discord.  

This is the view of Mr. Seri, shared by many honest Ivorians and foreign observers seeking the long-term good of the country rather than pursuing short term selfish interests.

We ask your support to press the Ivorian authorities for the immediate release of Mr. Modeste Seri, whose detention is unjustified and illegal.

The DJCI team

Abidjan, 10 February 2008

For further information contact email djci08@yahoo.fr