Thousands Still Suffering From Ivory Coast Chemical Dumping

Two years after toxic waste was dumped in the Ivory Coast, tens of thousands of people are sick, clean-up has not yet begun, and it’s still not clear who’s responsible, says a United Nations human rights expert. Chemical sludge from a chartered vessel was unloaded at open-air sites around Abidjan, the nation’s largest city, in August 2006, killing at least 16 people and poisoning thousands. Many victims can’t afford to leave, says U.N. expert Okechukwu Ibeanu. They suffer from reproductive ills as well as headaches, and skin, upper respiratory, and digestive problems. The Dutch ship was chartered by the oil-trading firm Trafigura, which has agreed to pay $198 million to the Ivory Coast but denies any wrongdoing. Ibeanu called for a more forceful government response, both to alleviate suffering and to send a signal that “Africa is not a cheap dumping ground.”