Highlights

 

• 
  
  
• DSRSG holds talks
  with Secretary-General of Mano River Union

UNOCI organises
Christmas party for 300 children;

Attempted robbery at
identification centre;

FAFN commander
reportedly arrested in Tafiré

 

Political

 

The Deputy Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cote d'Ivoire, Mr. Georg
Charpentier, had a meeting today with the Secretary-General of the Mano River
Union, Abraham Boré, at ONUCI's headquarters in Abidjan.

 

Information and
sensitization

 

UNOCI today organized a
Christmas party for over 300 children, including orphans, children living with
or affected by HIV, and other vulnerable children at its Sebroko headquarters in
Abidjan. The event, held under the theme of Peace and Environment, was attended
by representatives of the Ministries of the Environment and Town Planning and
Urban Health, UN agencies, NGOs and UNOCI.

 

Identification process

 

UNOCI's Electoral office in
Bouake today confirmed an attempted robbery of identification and voter
registration (IVR) equipment at an IVR data-collection centre in Bouake. The
deputy chief of cabinet of the Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Koffi Koffi, is today
visiting identification centres in Bouake to see how the process is proceeding.

 

In Bondoukou, the process is
very slow – fewer than 10 petitioners per day - as no sensitization has been
undertaken. Another inhibiting factor is that many youths aged 16 to 18 do not
have certificates of nationality or photocopies of their birth certificates.

 

Meanwhile, with the start-up
of
identification and voter registration in Boundiali, all departments of the
Savanes region – Boundiali, Ferkessedougou, Korhogo and Tengrela - are now
covered.

 

Arms embargo

 

Arms embargo inspections were carried out at the
National Armed Forces of Cote d'Ivoire's (FANCI) gendarmerie company in the
south-central town of Divo, at its gendarmerie brigade in Abengourou
(east), at its regrouping site in the political capital, Yamoussoukro.
Inspections were also conducted at the Armed
Forces of the Forces Nouvelles' (FAFN) 2nd mixed battalion in
Tafiré, near the northern town of Ferkéssedougou, and its 33^rd
infantry battalion in Bouaké. 

 

Human Rights

 

The Human Rights Division has learnt that a Beninois journalist  who was
detained for publishing an article claiming that prisoners had died during riots
in the Abidjan penitentiary on 13 December 2008, has been released. The
journalist, who works for the Ivorian news agency Alerte Info, was
accused of spreading false information.  

 

The Regional Human Rights Office in Bouaké is following up reports that the FAFN
brigade commander in Tafiré, has been arrested in connection with an interview
he gave to a national newspaper, in which he complained about the lack of
clarity in the exercise of authority within the FAFN. In the interview, which
was published in "Le Temps" newspaper, the commander stated that Prime
Minister Guillaume Soro, who is also Secretary-General of the Forces Nouvelles,
had lost control of the movement and called on him to assert his authority.
The commander is being detained at the Bouaké gendarmerie brigade.

 

UNOCI's Regional Human Rights Office in the eastern town of Bondoukou organized
a sensitisation session on the rights of girls for villagers in Bokoré, 25 km
from Bondoukou. Several issues prevalent in the region were highlighted, such as
the need to increase the number of girls in school, end forced and early
marriages, fight against gender-based violence and eliminate female genital
mutilation. The villagers, in turn, said that their main concerns were lack of
access to health care, potable water and schools.