Highlights

- Successful identification will put an end to "ivoirite" issue, says SRSG
- UNOCI peacekeepers report tension in Man in aftermath of attack
- Milobs carry out special patrol to monitor diamond mining

Political

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, has told a press conference after the heads of UN mission conference in Dakar, Senegal, that 2009 will be a decisive year for the Ivorian peace process. Mr. Choi said that three elements, namely identification, disarmament and presidential elections, would dominate the year. He also said that the question of "ivoirite", which has dominated Ivorian politics for two decades, could be resolved within a few weeks at the end of a successful identification and voter registration operation. The SRSG, who also spoke about disarmament and the redeployment of state authority throughout the country, concluded by reiterating UNOCI's commitment to supporting the Ivorian peace process in general and the electoral process in particular.

Security

UNOCI peacekeepers today reported that the security situation in Man (west) is still tense following violent clashes between loyalist and dissidents of the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) on 1 and 2 February 2009. Three dissidents were killed during the attack. A UNOCI patrol yesterday observed a meeting of about 400 FAFN soldiers inside the Zone Commander's headquarters, during which civil society groups expressed their support for him.

Reunification of Treasury

The Ivorian Minister of Vocational Training Mr. Moussa Dosso, who is also National Financial Secretary of the Forces Nouvelles, and Mr. Pierre Aka, Technical Adviser of the Finance Ministry, today expressed their satisfaction at the centralization of the treasury process which started in the Bouaké area on 2 February 2009. Speaking after a meeting of the Technical Committee to review the process, they said that the population had responded positively to the changes. The two men expressed the hope that the changes in the taxation system would also result in an even better quality service to the population.

Diamond embargo

UNOCI Military Observers (Milobs) in Séguéla (centre-west), along with a member of the UN Group of Experts on diamonds yesterday carried out a special patrol to monitor diamond mining in Wongué, Bobi and Forana. According to villagers, the security situation is good but diamond production is very low. In Wongué, residents said that their main income was from cereal production rather than the gem trade. The team also visited the diamond mine in Bobi and interacted with the miners who claimed they had not found any diamonds in the last three months.

Arms embargo

UNOCI peacekeepers conducted arms embargo inspections at the FAFN's unit in Sokoro (west), at the National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire's (FANCI) Mobile Rapid Intervention Detachment in Sinfra (centre-west) and at its gendarmerie brigade Didievi, near Yamoussoukro (centre).

Human Rights

The Human Rights Division yesterday started a three-day coordination meeting in Odienné (north west) to review its strategies within the framework of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement and the ongoing electoral process. Apart from the Chief of Division and headquarters-based programme coordinators, the meeting is being attended by the heads of the nine Regional Human Rights Offices in Abidjan, Bondoukou, Bouaké, Daloa, Duékoué, Korhogo, Odienné, San Pedro and Yamoussoukro.

The Regional Human Rights Office in Abidjan facilitated medical care and judicial assistance for a woman who was raped by three unidentified men in the Adjamé district in Abidjan on 4 February 2009. The rapists took her identity documents and money.

The Regional Human Rights Office in Daloa (centre west) visited an FAFN soldier accused of involvement in the violent clashes in Man on 1 and 2 February 2009, in Séguéla prison. The soldier, who was arrested on 2 February 2009, claimed that he had been repeatedly beaten while in detention. On 4 February 2009, the Office together with the human rights and health clubs in the Lycée Moderne conducted a human rights awareness-raising workshop for 50 students and teachers. The session highlighted the importance of hygiene and a clean learning environment.