Highlights

- Local authority and villagers deny presence of Liberian ex-combatants in west
- ICC and FAFN ask UNOCI to return weapons handed in during regrouping process
- Ministry of Education to consider absorbing volunteer teachers

Security

Following local media reports that there were 3000 Liberian ex-combatants from the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), living in the Toulepleu area in western Cote d'Ivoire, UNOCI personnel based in Duékoué, yesterday met with the Sous Prefet of the area and villagers from Klobly and Pekan, to further investigate. The Sous Prefet told UNOCI that there was no evidence to support the reports but confirmed that there were indeed Liberians in the area because of the close links between the Guérés in Côte d'Ivoire and the Krahns in Liberia. He said that the two communities speak the same language. The villagers also said that though there were Liberians in the villages, they had not seen any Liberian ex-combatants.

Following the sacking of Zakaria Koné as commander of the Vavoua - Séguéla zone, the Chef du Cabinet of the Ivorian Prime Minister's office, Brigadier-General Gueu Michel, yesterday met with the commander of BANBATT peacekeepers based in the town, to discuss security issues.

DDR

The Integrated Command Centre (ICC) and the FAFN have sent a joint letter to UNOCI requesting that the weapons collected during the second phase of the regrouping process for ex-combatants in Bouaké be handed over to the FAFN authorities.

Arms Embargo

Arms embargo inspections were yesterday successfully carried out by UNOCI peacekeepers at the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) Unit in Kouna Fao (east), and at its camp in Dianra, near Séguéla (north west). Similar inspections were also carried out at the National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FANCI) unit in Gagnoa (south west) and at the 4th squadron of the Mobile Gendarmerie in the Abidjan district of Koumassi, on the same day.

Redeployment of administration

A list of 2,648 volunteer teachers, who would like to be formally absorbed into the education system, has been submitted to the Ministry of Education for consideration.
Ivorian President Laurent had promised that volunteer teachers, who are qualified, could be officially employed by the Ministry of Education, where there are vacancies. However, the volunteer teachers are also demanding that their salaries are back dated to the start of the Ivorian crisis. The Ministry also said that the redeployment of teachers in the north, west and central Côte d'Ivoire had not been as successful as it had hoped and that there was a shortage of teaching staff and that volunteer teachers would therefore be needed to meet the demand.

Human Rights

The Human Rights Division yesterday attended a press conference to officially launch the Human Rights Watch report: "La meilleure école. La violence estudiantine, l'impunité et la crise en Côte d'Ivoire". The report outlines the violence and extortions ranging from racketeering to ill-treatment, torture, summary execution and rape committed with total impunity by the students union, the "Fédération Estudiantine et Scolaire de Côte d'Ivoire (FESCI). The event was also attended by local human rights community, government officials, representatives of the international community as well as a FESCI delegation, led by its newly elected Secretary General, Augustin Mian.

The Regional Human Rights Office in Abidjan is following up on the case of a soldier who was arrested on 14 May 2008 and detained at the Military Prison in Abidjan (MAMA). The military prosecutor confirmed the arrest with the Office and explained that the soldier had been detained for setting up a military union, called the "Organisation Nationale des Forces de Defense et de Sécurité de Cote d'Ivoire" (Onfdsci), which he said was in breach of the Ivorian military code. The soldier is also charged with speaking to the press without prior authorization.

Humanitarian

Following a fire at the local power station, which has left Boundiali without power and water for almost a week, the secretary-general of the prefecture yesterday asked UNOCI if it could supply fuel to the local hospital to run its generator.