Ivory Coast Beach Attack: Latest in the Senseless and Seemingly Endless Killing of Innocent People at Tourists Sites in West Africa.

Grand Bassa Resort, Ivory Coast. Photo Source: destinatioabidjan

Following deadly hotel attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast became the latest country in West Africa to be hit by blood thirsty maniacs. It is reported that Gunmen in balaclavas with AK-47s and hand grenades targeted the popular Ivorian tourist resort of Grand Bassam randomly spraying bullets on innocent guests leaving 21 people dead including three attackers and three members of the security force.

The group of bandits who refer to themselves as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Alleged to be their third attack in the region in as little as five months, these barbaric criminals appear to be having a stronghold in this part of the world. However, it has to said that these senseless attacks on tourists sites in West Africa are becoming increasingly  worrisome, and is severely hampering the region’s tourism growth potentials.

What struck me the most in all this mayhem is the reported killing of a five year old boy. How on earth could anyone justify the killing of a five year old child whose only crime was to play on a beach side in his native land? And how terrified must that child have been gazing at his killer opened fire on his very young and fragile body! My heart bleeds every time I think about that poor boy. I know he was not the only victim of this cruel act but surely, no one child should ever witness such horror let alone being caught up in it.

But there you go, it is such a cruel world we are living in. We have seen it before and my wild guess is; we will continue to witness such sad occurrences. It is happening all over the world. Syrian children are senselessly dying in numbers through no fault of their own. So is the case in Yemen, Somalia, Burundi, Palestine and all troubled regions in the world. Until responsible authorities in the world stop playing double standards and act meaningfully to stop the atrocities, innocent people will continue to pay the price for something they never bargain for.

With a heavy heart, I hopelessly try to look into what policy makers in my part of the world have to say or do about all this mess. As expected, the African Union just issued a mere statement strongly condemning the attacks. That’s all well and good but where are the contingency plan to deal with any potential future attacks or to stop such attacks from recurring? We have heard enough of this useless statements over the years. Please put forward a strategic plan and robust actions to tackle this menace once and for all.

On a more positive note however, the Ivorian government announced the creation of a national coordination center for the fight against terrorism amongst ECOWAS member countries. Supported by the regional body, it is hope that the establishment of such a center will enable the exchange of information particularly early warning signs relating to terrorism in the region. It is also construed that through this center which will be identical in all ECOWAS member states, individual countries will be able to prevent and  better manage their own security threats. A very laudable initiative which I very much hope will help completely stem out such cowardly acts in the region.