Highlights

- UNOCI organizes seminar on culture of peace for Ivorian teachers
- Passenger minibus narrowly escapes armed attack in west
- Volunteer teachers protest in Korhogo

Information and sensitization

UNOCI today opened a three-day training workshop on the role and responsibility of secondary school teachers in the Ivorian peace process in the political capital of Yamoussoukro. More than 70 teachers, from all over the country are participating in the workshop to learn more about methods and techniques for teaching the fundamental principles that create a culture of peace and tolerance in schools. Speaking on behalf of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary- General for Côte d'Ivoire, the Chief of Public Information, Margherita Amodeo, highlighted the crucial role that teachers should play in helping to end the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, saying that they were the ultimate multipliers of a message of tolerance and peace to the youth of the country. The Director of Planning in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Herbert Bernard Yao Gbo, thanked UNOCI for the initiative and announced that his Ministry was in the process of including culture of peace studies in the national curriculum.

Security

A man was injured when roadside robbers yesterday opened fire on a minibus travelling along the Bangolo-Duekoué road, near Binao, 10 km south of Bangolo (west), in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The victim sustained gunshot wounds to his hand. The driver did not stop and was able to escape the attack. The Bangolo Mixed Brigade is investigating the incident.

UNPOL in Sector West received unconfirmed information of an imminent uprising by Armed Forces of Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) in Vavoua and Séguéla. Disgruntled supporters of former Zone Commander Zacharia Koné are said to be planning to show their opposition to alleged purges conducted within the FAFN.

Redeployment of administration

Members of the Mouvement des Enseignants Volontaires de Côte d'Ivoire (MEVCI) union, representing volunteer teachers in Forces Nouvelles areas, yesterday locked out civil servants from their offices in the Direction Régionale de l'Education nationale (DREN) in Korhogo (north) They were protesting against the fact that they had still not been formally recruited by the education authorities. They also scrawled slogans on the walls saying that school would not be allowed to start the new academic year, as long as their demands were not met. MEVCI is also compiling its own list of volunteer teachers, whom they say should be formally recruited, despite the fact that the local education authorities have already submitted a list to the Ministry of Education.

Arms Embargo

UNOCI peacekeepers yesterday conducted arms embargo inspections at the FAFN Gendarmerie checkpoint in Ouyatouo, near Danané (west) at its 62nd Battalion in Man (west), at its Unit Tengrela (north), at its Mobile Gendarmerie in Bondouko and at the National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FANCI) Gendarmerie Brigade in Grand Béréby (south-west) and at its First Engineering Battalion in the Abidjan district of Adjamé.

Humanitarian

UNOCI's GHANMED and PAKBATT today provided free medical treatment and medicines to hundreds of villagers in Kongodékro, situated 6 km south of Bouaké, while Pakistani engineers levelled out the access roads to the village.

Human Rights

A three-day workshop on gender-based violence was organized by the NGO Horizon Verte Santé for 22 local NGO members and community leaders in Odienné from 2 to 4 September 2008. The Human Rights Regional Office in Odienné made a presentation on gender-based violence as a major threat to women's rights in the region of Odienné, during the workshop.

On 2 September, the Commander of the Bangolo Mixed Brigade confirmed to the Regional Human Rights Office in Duékoué (west) that four men, who allegedly kidnapped and killed a Malian cocoa producer in Guéhiébly (west) during the night of 20 August 2008 and the morning of 21 August 2008, had been arrested. The four men will be charged with murder, burglary, assault and battery, conspiracy, and possession of illegal weapons. In addition, two other men, allegedly involved in the ambush of a public transport vehicle on 22 August 2008 along the Bangolo-Logualé road (west), which resulted in the death of one of the passengers, have also been arrested.