Highlights

 

·       
SRSG
 highlights progress made in peace process;

·       
Top UNOCI
military officials meet in Abidjan;

·       
Rogue soldier
threatens to shoot at UN aircraft;

·       
FAFN soldiers
impatient to be re-inserted;

·       
Payments
begin for ID agents; 

·       
UN Jordanian
battalion offers equipment to schools in Adzopé

 

SRSG speaks to
media following meeting with PDCI president

 

Following his
meeting yesterday with the President of the Rally of Republicans, (RDR),
Alassane Dramane Ouattara, and ambassadors stationed in Côte d'Ivoire, the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y. J. Choi,
met the head of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) Henri Konan Bédié.
The UNOCI head discussed the evolution of the Ivorian peace process with Mr.
Bédié. SRSG Choi stated that the upcoming UN Security Council meeting should
enable the international community to readjust, if need be, its support for the
Ivorian peace process.

 

UNOCI military brass hold
meeting today

 

The commanding officers of
UNOCI's three military sectors, Bouaké, Daloa and Abidjan, met today at the
UNOCI headquarters in Abidjan. The Special Representative of the
Secretary-General opened the meeting, which was chaired by the Force Commander,
General Fernand Marcel Amoussou. The SRSG praised the accomplishments made by
the military in 2008, underlining the wide array of humanitarian initiatives
they supported. Y.J. Choi also highlighted the UN's zero tolerance policy on
sexual exploitation and abuse. He described to the military challenges they will
face in 2009, drawing particular attention to the role of UNOCI in supporting
the implementation of the fourth complementary agreement to the Ouagadougou
Political Accord.

 

Security

 

UNOCI military in Daloa
[centre-west] learned yesterday of an impending threat to UN aircraft using the
airport in this locality: a soldier from the Ivorian Defense and Security Forces
(FDS-CI) threatened to fire on UN flights coming in and out of the airport
because, he said, the planes raise an enormous amount of dust when they land and
take-off. The soldier is known to have made other threats against UNOCI, and the
military guarding the airport have taken his threat seriously and are taking
appropriate measures.

 

A local representative of the
RDR in San Pedro presented
himself yesterday to UNOCI's Senegalese battalion in the southwestern town,
explaining that he had received death threats because of his political
affiliation. He said he was informing the UN in case he needed assistance in
future.

 

DDR

 

Some elements of the Armed
Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) who have not yet demobilized are pressing
for the resumption of the demobilization process in Bouaké. They want to benefit
from reinsertion opportunities, including UNOCI's "1000 micro projects" process.
Some soldiers demobilized since May 2008 have not yet been reinserted and are
expressing impatience at the slow pace of implementation of the reinsertion
programmes. Similar complaints have been recorded in Bouna (northeast) where the
DDR process is still on standby.

 

Elections

 

The payment of arrears of
salaries and allowances to officers in charge of identification and voter
registration in the Bouaké area has started. As a result, the beginning of a new
climate of enthusiasm has been observed in a number of collection centres. This
new development is expected to lead to the strengthening of the capacity of the
centres to provide better service to the population. However, recurrent problems
linked to the slow pace of delivery of documents by administrative offices in
some sub-districts (such as Sakassou and Béoumi) together with the lack of
registries (Bouaké and Béoumi, among others) still represent important obstacles
to be overcome. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council, through its
Information, Counseling and Legal Assistance programme, has been providing
guidance and assistance to people requesting civil documents so that they can
participate in the identification and voter registration (IVR) process.

 

UNOCI learned this morning
that 48 collection centres in and around Yamoussoukro were closed due to a
strike by IVR agents against non-payment of salaries.
Identification began
in Yamoussoukro on 28 November 2008.

 

Humanitarian

 

Yesterday
UNOCI's Jordanian battalion donated 300 school bags, 200 training suits, 200
sports bags and five lawyer's bags to schools in Adzopé (south east). The
battalion also provided free medical treatment to people in this town, where
UNOCI is establishing a military and civilian base. Some soldiers from the
Jordanian battalion are already installed there and more will go next week.
UNOCI's Election Assistance Division has also established an office in Adzopé.
As part of the ongoing outreach to the local population and authorities, to
explain the mandate and role of the UN in the peace process, UNOCI organized a
forum in Adzope in 2008, and plans to hold a schools caravan there at the end of
January for thousands of high school students.  

 

Human Rights

On 6 January, Human Rights and
UNPOL officers in Korhogo (center-north) investigated a case of use of excessive
force by an FAFN element on 28 December in Ouangolodougou (95 km north east of
Korhogo), who shot a Burkinabe national suspected of drug possession in the
right foot after the victim resisted arrest. The FAFN element and a colleague
were detained for 48 hours but later released. Human rights officers have been
following up the case with Forces Nouvelles authorities.

On 7 January, the Regional
Human Rights Office in Odienné conducted a "training-of-trainers" session for 60
school teachers from the Denguélé, Bafing, and Worodougou regions in
northwestern Côte d'Ivoire. The training focused on human rights with a
particular emphasis on the rights of the child. The participants will be conduct
sensitization campaigns and lead special human rights discussion sessions at
primary schools throughout the area. 

 

Ends