A/HRC/18/52 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 20 September 2011 Original: English Human Rights Council Eighteenth session Agenda item 10 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire* Summary The present report is submitted pursuant to resolution 17/21 of the Human Rights Council requesting the High Commissioner to present a report on the situation of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire at its eighteenth session. It provides an update on the human rights situation in Côte d’Ivoire since the report presented by the High Commissioner to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/17/49) at its seventeenth session and covers events from 1 June to 31 August 2011. The fragile security situation, coupled with existing resentment within several communities, especially in Abidjan and the west, continues to breed inter-community tensions, which often result in violence, with negative implications for the human rights situation. Civilians, particularly women and children, remained the primary victims of human rights violations and abuses and continued to face difficulties in accessing the criminal justice system, which is experiencing serious logistical and human resource challenges as a result of the conflict. There are reports of human rights violations by the Forces Républicaines de la Côte d’Ivoire (FRCI), including extra-judicial and summary executions, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrests and detention, violations of economic and social rights through acts of extortion, threats and intimidation. The fragile security situation has also encouraged vestiges of militia groups to continue carrying out targeted attacks against the population in areas in the west amid heightened levels of tension among various communities. While corrective action has been taken, in the form of arrests of some of the perpetrators of human rights violations which occurred during the recent crisis, the Government needs to intensify its efforts to address human rights violations by the FRCI. Amid the current challenges facing the justice system, in particular the criminal justice * Late submission. GE.11-16084