Daloa is a town and the capital of the Haut-Sassandra Region in western Côte d'Ivoire. It had a population of 173,107 in 1998; its estimated population in 2005 was 215,100. It lies to the west of Yamoussoukro. The town is an important trading centre, particularly for cocoa. The town is served by Daloa Airport and is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Daloa, with its cathedral at Cathédrale du Christ-Roi. People from Daloa include the musician Ernesto Djédjé. The town was repeatedly contested during the First Ivorian Civil War, which lasted from 2002 to 2004. Following the takeover of the town by the government on 16 October 2002, fifty civilians from the north were allegedly killed by government troops. Amnesty International described the killings as a "massacre", saying people in military uniform had killed people suspected of supporting the rebel Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire. The killings were allegedly based on their Muslim names or that the victims were nationals of Mali, Burkino Faso or Guinea. Côte d'Ivoire authorities ordered an inquiry but stated government forces had not been responsible. However, no charges were brought and the Ougadougou Peace Agreement in March 2007 between President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro incorporated a general amnesty for crimes committed in this time, except for crimes against humanity, war crimes and economic crimes. In February 2012, the International Criminal Court decided to investigate this incident. Daloa is twinned with: France Pau, France, since 1984 Brazil Campinas, Brazil, since 1982.