Highlights

- Forces Nouvelles to set up committee to oversee restoration of state authority
- UNOCI organizes seminar on investigative journalism for peace and development

Political

A technical committee to work out the modalities for the full restoration of State authority in areas formally under Forces Nouvelles control is soon to be created. The announcement came from Ivorian Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the Forces Nouvelles (FN), Guillaume Soro in Bouaké yesterday during the closing ceremony of a seminar organized by the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) to discuss the implementation of the 4th supplementary agreement of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, which deals with the completion of the disarmament demobilization and reintegration process (DDR) and the re-establishment of a centralized treasury.

Information and sensitization

Some 30 Ivorian journalists today started a week-long seminar on "Investigative journalism for peace and development", organised by UNOCI in Grand Bassam, 15 km, south of Abidjan. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the representative of the National Press Council welcomed UNOCI's efforts in support of the Ivorian media while stating the investigative journalism raises pertinent questions in a country like Côte d'Ivoire, which is coming out of a crisis. The seminar is part of the Mission's ongoing efforts to promote peace in Côte d'Ivoire through the media.

Security

In addition to UNOCI patrols along the border between Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, joint patrols are to be carried out by the National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FANCI) and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN). The move is in response to the political upheaval in Guinea which followed the death of President Lansana Conte in December 2008. The patrols will be carried out in the Danané (west), Touba, Biankouma and Odienné (north) areas.

A special UNOCI patrol, which was sent at Loguato (west) on the Liberian border, has reported that persistent rumours of an imminent cross-border attack by Liberians were baseless. According to the team, there were no unusual cross border activities. However, UNPOL and FAFN have increased patrols in the area. Meanwhile, the situation on the Liberian-Ivorian-Guinean border was found to be calm and peaceful.

Five men armed with AK 47 rifles, on 17 January 2009, attacked Guézon village, near Duekoué (west). They hit a pregnant woman in the stomach with the butt of a rifle forcing her to give birth prematurely. They also shot a 20-year-old man in the leg and injured another with a machete before escaping with 240,000 FCFA stolen from villagers.

Human Rights

The Regional Human Rights Office in Odienné (north) is following up the case of an 18-year-old pregnant girl who sought its assistance claiming she had been repeatedly physically assaulted by a 28-year-old man, who is the alleged father of her baby. She said that since she became pregnant, she had been repeatedly beaten by the man, who also refused to pay for her medical care. She said that he finally chased her out of their home and threw away all her personal belongings.

On 14 January 2009, two mentally-ill persons, one of them a woman, were chained to a tree for between two to three weeks without any medical care at a religious camp in Soko village, 5 km from Bondoukou (east). Both victims were released following the intervention of the Regional Human Rights Office in Bondoukou. The Office was told that some local religious group carried out such practices claiming it helps the moral and spiritual healing of people suffering from mental illness. The Office sensitized the perpetrators on the importance of respect for human dignity.