On 11 April 2025, the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC), together with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire held a commemorative ceremony in Abidjan to officially acknowledge the harm suffered by victims of the most serious and emblematic crimes against humanity committed between March and April 2011. The event also paid tribute to all victims of the 2010-2011 post-electoral crisis, across the whole country.
The ceremony, which marked the 14th anniversary of the March-April 2011 incidents was presided by Ms Kandia Camara, President of the Senate and Mayor of Abobo, in the presence of Ms Myss Belmonde Dogo, Minister for National Cohesion, Solidarity and the Fight Against Poverty, and Mr Mamadou Touré, Minister for the Promotion of Youth, Professional Integration and Civic Services, as well as representatives of the ICC, the TFV, local authorities, affected communities, civil society, and victims' organisations.
The commemorative event included representatives from diverse religious communities who led more than 2,000 participants through an inter-faith prayer. The commemoration is aligned with the 22 February 2024 decision by the Head of State of Cote d'Ivoire to honour the memory of victims of past crises. It is one of the measures implemented by the TFV as part of its assistance programme, developed in response to demands, needs and views of victims.
Victims played a central role in the ceremony in diverse segments of the ceremony, where symbols of remembrance were prominent. A survivor of the Yao Séhi attack, representing all victims, emphatically called on the country to avoid repetition: 'The best reparation we could get is the non-repetition of the crimes we suffered of in 2011'.
At the event, Ms. Myss Belmonde Dogo, Minister for National Cohesion, Solidarity and the Fight Against Poverty, stated: "Fourteen years after the post-electoral crisis of 2010 and 2011, we must remember the suffering endured by the victims in Abobo, in Yopougon, and across the country. It is the Government's duty to join, to foster and to support remembrance-not only to honor the victims but also to help build a peaceful future. Remembrance is a commitment to not rekindle hatred or resentment, nor to stir the seeds of social unrest. Remembrance is a commitment to learn from the past and to ensure that violence never ever happens again. It is in this spirit that the Head of State wished for a solemn moment to be held to acknowledge the harm suffered by all victims. That is why, together with the Trust Fund for Victims of the ICC, we organised the commemorative ceremony on Friday, 11 April. These two memorials are present and permanent, like our commitment to ensuring that such crimes never happen again. This is a particularly important message during this pre-electoral period."
Mr. Andres Parmas, Chair of the Board of Directors of the TFV, emphasized: "Memorialisation efforts have the purpose of recognising, reckoning and commemorating the past, while educating, and preventing for the future. The memorials have also brought together victims, civil society, artists, and the authorities to reflect and respond in a visible and always present manner, the emblematic incidents that took place during the post-electoral period. In supporting these efforts, the Trust Fund for Victims hopes that the memorials and the collaboration that made them possible endures in time. That would be the most important legacy of the ICC in Côte d'Ivoire."
The ceremony was followed by the inauguration of memorials symbolising the victims' right to remembrance and dignity. A monumental sculpture "From Shadow to Light", created by artists Gueho and Gnassa, was unveiled in the Abidjan locality of Abobo; and a collaborative mural titled "Resilience" by artists Dadjé and Touboui was inaugurated in Yopougon, also in Abidjan.
The artworks were the result of extensive community consultations, supported by TFV implementing partners WANEP, AVSI, and DRAO, in collaboration with La Fabrique Culturelle and artists from the Abidjan School of Fine Arts.
The commemoration also included the performance of the musical '220 logements', which retraces the ten years of decisions that shook Côte d'Ivoire, was played to 100 victims from Abobo and Yopougon the day before the ceremony on 10 April.
