Toxic waste causes civil unrest in Ivory Coast

Abidjan, an Ivory Coast city often referred to as the "Paris of West Africa," has been rocked by protests over the dumping of over 400 tons of toxic waste in the city. The waste, which contained a mixture of gasoline, water and caustic washings, was brought to the Ivory Coast by ship and unloaded in Abidjan on Aug. 19 by a contractor working for Transfigura, a Dutch commodities company. It was dumped in eight open air sites throughout the densely populated city. A UN report said the waste contained hydrogen sulfide, a chemical which gives off the smell of rotten eggs and can be fatal in high concentrations. Soon after the dumping, residents complained of a nauseating stench and persistent health problems including vomiting, nausea and nose bleeds. Fumes from the waste have killed seven people, including four children, and forced more than 40,000 individuals to seek medical treatment for intestinal and respiratory ailments. Abididjan residents, who accused the government of not responding to the crisis, began protesting last week by blockading entrances to garbage dumps. The situation turned violent on Sept. 15, as chanting demonstrators closed the road to the main garbage site with burning tires. Protestors, many wearing white dust masks and carrying sticks, dragged Innocent Kobenan Anaky, Ivory Coast's now-deposed transport minister, out of his car and beat him, inflicting minor injuries. Protesters also burned the home of the general manager of Abidjan's port, Marcel Gossio, who was suspended due to the dumping scandal. At the request of the Ivory Coast, the United Nations Environmental Program is investigating reports that the toxic waste may have been illegally exported. Under the terms of the 1989 international hazardous waste treaty, known as the Basel convention, any nation exporting hazardous waste must obtain prior written permission from the importing country, as well as a permit detailing the contents and destination of the waste. If the waste had been transferred illegally, the exporter is obliged to take back the waste, and pay for any damages and the cost of the clean-up process. Trafigura has denied any wrongdoing and contends it informed port authorities of the shipment. The company said it had a legitimate contract with an Ivorian company to legally dispose of the waste. The Ivory Coast tragedy is only the latest example of a resurgence of toxic waste dumping by rich nations in poor ones. The Basel Convention was forged in the wake of several international scandals involving the dumping of toxic wastes in poor nations by industrialized countries. But the accord does not prohibit waste exports to any location except Antarctica and several parties to the convention were quickly convinced it did not go far enough. In 1995, an amendment to the treaty was established to prohibit waste exports from developed nations to the rest of the world. The amendment has been implemented in the European Union, but has not entered into force globally. A long list of countries has failed to ratify the treaty. The list includes wealthy nations who oppose the ban, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and developing countries, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and–ironically–the Ivory Coast.