UN Expert Urges Full Probe in Toxic Ship's Waste
Date: 15-Sep-06
Country: SWITZERLAND
The statement was issued by Okechkwu Ibeanu, UN special rapporteur on adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights.
Ivory Coast's Health Ministry said nearly 16,000 people had been made ill by fumes from the Panamanian-registered ship's poisonous fuel slops, deposited at open-air sites around the economic capital, Abidjan, in August. Six people have died.
"It is of utmost importance that a fair, impartial and independent investigation is carried out to determine the chain of responsibility which has lead to this catastrophe," Ibeanu said in a statement issued in Geneva.
The inquiry must uncover the origin of the toxic product, the country that exported the waste, any private companies involved in its transport and dumping, and "the responsibilities of officials and oversight institutions", according to the Nigerian expert.
Those responsible should be prosecuted, he said. "It is equally important to compensate the victims and their families."
He said there was a strong suggestion that "the side effects of this pollution will continue to adversely affect the human rights of peoples of the region over a very long period".
Ivorian state prosecutor Raymond Tchimou told Reuters seven Ivorians and one Nigerian had been arrested in connection with the dumping and were being held in Abidjan's main prison.
Public outcry over the dumped toxic sludge forced the war-divided West African state's government to resign last week.