Ivory Coast, Cote d'Ivoire: Caritas is There

I've discussed Catholic aid groups and what's happening in Japan recently. (March 20, 2011) I've also made the point before that you'll find Catholics 'all over.' We're literally a universal church.

We also have a mandate to practice charity where we can. Which is why Caritas, a Catholic outfit, is in Ivory Coast: a country where folks are having a rough time. There, it's not a natural disaster - in my opinion, it's a matter of the country's boss wanting to keep his job, no matter what.

There's more to it than that, I'm pretty sure: anything involving human beings is, I think, seldom simple. Here's what got me started on this post:

"Charity: More than 1,000 killed in Ivorian town"
Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (April 2, 2011)

"Unknown attackers wielding machetes and guns killed more than 1,000 civilians in the neighborhood of an Ivory Coast town controlled by forces fighting to install the internationally recognized president, the Catholic charity Caritas told The Associated Press Saturday.

"The U.N. mission in Ivory Coast said it has a team investigating the alleged mass killings in western Duekoue. It said most of the nearly 1,000 peacekeepers based there were protecting about 15,000 refugees at a Catholic mission in the town at the time.

"Spokesman Patrick Nicholson of the Roman Catholic charity Caritas said workers visited Duekoue on Wednesday and found hundreds of bodies of civilians killed by bullets from small-arms fire and hacked to death with machetes.

"They estimated more than 1,000 civilians were killed, he said.

"The International Federation of the Red Cross put the death toll at about 800, in separate and independent visits Thursday and Friday.

"Nicholson, the Caritas spokesman, said the killings occurred over three days in a neighborhood controlled by fighters loyal to internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara, though it was not clear who the perpetrators were.

" 'The massacre took place in the 'Carrefour' quarter of town, controlled by pro-Ouattara forces, during clashes on Sunday 27 March to Tuesday 29 March,' Nicholson said. 'Caritas does not know who was responsible for the killing, but says a proper investigation must take place to establish the truth.'..."

Alassane Ouattara is the man who won the last election. Laurent Gbagbo, Ivory Coast's boss, says the election doesn't count.

Do I think Ouattara supporters killed over a thousand people - many of whom probably were on their side? Do I think Ouattara supporters are responsible?

I - do - not - know. I'm with the Caritas spokesman who said "a proper investigation must take place to establish the truth."

Prayer, by the way, for the folks living and working in Ivory Coast couldn't hurt: and might help. In my opinion. No pressure, though.

Slightly-related posts:

• "Ivory Coast, Cote d'Ivoire: Bodies in the Street"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (March 19, 2011)
• "Not Hopeless, Not Helpless: Haiti, the News, and a Reality Check"
  (December 21, 2010)
• "Caritas in Veritate: Charity, Hungry Nations of the World, and the Catholic Church"
  (July 8, 2010)
• "Indonesia: Lots of Earthquakes, Lots of People Killed; Lots More Needing Help"
  (October 3, 2009)
• "Earthquake in Ziarat: I Have to Care"
  (October 29, 2008)

In the news:

• "Charity: More than 1,000 killed in Ivorian town"
  Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (April 2, 2011)