Highlights

 

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  SRSG Choi inaugurates quick-impact project
  near Bondoukou;

Rule of Law Unit meets Bouaké police chief
to discuss security in prisons;

Attack on cocoa merchants in the west
reported.

 

SRSG inaugurates quick impact project in Bondoukou

 

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J.
Choi, today inaugurated a school-expansion project in Goly, near the eastern
town of Bondoukou. The project was one of 100 quick impact projects (QIPs)
funded by the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI) thanks to contributions from
the Korean and Swiss governments. The classrooms were built by the Ghanaian
battalion at the cost of some 11 million CFA francs ($US 22,000). Today's
ceremony was attended by the Korean Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Yoon June Park,
as well as the head of UNOCI's Civil Affairs. The SRSG is scheduled to
inaugurate another QIP project tomorrow in the southwestern town of San Pedro.

 

SRSG Choi returned at the weekend from Abuja where he participated in the 35^th
summit of the Economic Community of West African States, at which Nigerian
President Alhaji Umar Musa Yar'Adua was elected Chairman of the ECOWAS 
Authority of Heads of State and Government for the next one year. President
Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso was reconfirmed as the Facilitator of the
Inter-Ivorian Direct Dialogue.

 

Security / Rule of Law

 

Following the escape of 28 inmates from the civilian prison in Bouaké just under
two weeks ago – on the heels of a jail break in Man, an attempted one in Seguela,
and other problems with the prison in Korhogo - UNOCI's Rule of Law Unit met
with the police commissioner of Bouaké on 20 December 2008 to discuss the issue
of security in prisons. At the end of the meeting, the Forces Nouvelles (FN)
announced that it would reinforce security in the prisons in the FN zone by
increasing its patrols. Increased patrols were observed over the weekend in
Korhogo.

 

Human Rights

 

On 17 December, several unidentified individuals
armed with Kalashnikovs attacked a group of merchants selling cocoa on the
Duekoué – Blolequin road, near the village of Zouan (38 km west of Duekoué). The
victims were robbed of their personal belongings, including cash estimated at
two million FCFA (4,000.00 USD). Police authorities indicated to human rights
officers that they would open investigations into the matter.

 

Medical Assistance and
Water Offered to Lazarekro community

 

On Saturday 20 December the
Bangaldeshi Battalion of UNOCI (BANBATT 4) offered free medical assistance to
the villagers living in and around the village of Lazareko, and on 21 December
another UNOCI quick impact project (QIP) to refurbish a principal water pump was
inaugurated. Lazarekro is a small village located 28 km west of Yamoussoukro, on
a main road regularly used by UNOCI and the French Licorne forces.

 

End