Highlights

 

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  Forces Nouvelles to
  launch sensitisation campaign on centralised treasury

UNOCI organises panel
discussion on civil society and democracy

Impartial Forces and
FDS-CI provide security after murders in Bondoukou area

 

Redeployment of
administration

 

A two-week sensitization campaign to
inform people about the centralisation of the state treasury is scheduled to be
launched in Forces Nouvelles (FN) areas this week. Led by FN zone commanders,
the campaign will also involve the participation of the newly redeployed
prefets, sous-prefets and mayors. Following the campaign, two initiatives, which
will regulate outstanding customs and tax payments and put an end to the FN
administered system, will start in Bouaké and Korhogo. The initiatives
will focus on the collection of
taxes for recently imported vehicles and motorcycles, to allow for a proper
registration process, but would not be limited to those items. At the same time,
regular customs and tax services would start for all incoming goods at border
points. However, several services would require the rehabilitation of offices
and housing facilities for the staff before they can become fully operational.

 

Information and
sensitisation

 

About 100 representatives of
civil society, students, teachers, media and traditional leaders today
participated in a panel discussion on the involvement of the media and civil
society in the democratic process organised by the Mission's Public Information
Office. Panel members, which included the Norwegian Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire,
the Deputy Chief of UNOCI's  Human Rights Division, a member of a Canadian NGO
called Media and Democracy and the head of the Ivorian publishers' association,
gave examples of how civil society influenced the political and democratic
agenda in several countries.

  

Security

 

The Impartial Forces and the
Defence and Security Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (FDS-CI) today launched joint
patrols in the Bondoukou area in a bid to reassure the population
following four murders and one attempted murder since 26 December 2008.
According to UNOCI peacekeepers, people were still frightened to go their farms
despite the fact that the alleged perpetrators of these crimes had all been
arrested.

 

The
situation was reported calm this morning following violent clashes between
members of the Federation of Students and Pupils of Côte d'Ivoire (FESCI) in
Inagohi High School in San Pedro (south) on 12 January 2009.  According to the
school director, violence erupted between two opposing groups after it was
alleged that the FESCI coordinator for the Bas-Sassandra region had tried to
impose a secretary-general ad interim, after inconclusive elections at
the end of December 2008. As a result of the violent clashes, classes at the
school, which is attended by some 5350 pupils, have been suspended until 19
January 2009.

 

The
identification and voter registration operation could not take place in Boguedia
Sous-Prefecture, some 30 km south of Daloa (centre west), after armed robbers
stole equipment from a school where it had been installed.

 

Arms embargo

 

UNOCI peacekeepers yesterday successfully carried out arms
embargo inspections at the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d'Ivoire's
(FDSCI) gendarmerie brigade in Tanda, near Bondoukou (east), at the Armed Forces
of the Forces Nouvelles' (FAFN) 11^th battalion in Vargbo (east) and
at its detachment in Bonguera (east).

 

Humanitarian

 

The Resident
Representative of UNHCR yesterday participated in the official launch of a
project against malaria in areas where returning refuges are concentrated. The
aim of the project is to support the fight against malaria among refugees and
internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Guiglo (west), Tabou
(south) and Abidjan.

 

Human Rights

 

The Regional Human Rights
Offices in Odienné and Daloa are following up reports that 12 FAFN soldiers
based in Seguéla on 11 January 2009, terrorised the population of Seguélon, 64
km south east of Odienné, while allegedly searching for arms. They searched a
mosque and three other buildings without finding any arms after which they went
to local bar where they drank beer and soft drinks worth 7,600 FCFA without
paying.  The Sous-Préfet told the Regional Human Rights Office in Odienne that
such actions by FAFN soldiers had a negative impact on the population and
jeopardised the fragile social cohesion. The chiefs of Ndeou and Séguélon
villages asked the Office to raise the issue with the FAFN authorities. In
addition, a civil servant told the Office that two of his sons, both former FAFN
in Séguélon, had been arrested on or around 27 November 2008 in Fadjadougou in
the Sous-Préfecture of Kani and had not been heard of since then.

 

On 12 January 2009, the
Regional Human Rights Office in Korhogo reported that a total of 13 detainees
were released from the Korhogo prison on 2 and 3 January 2009 on the orders of
the Zone Commander, Fofié Kouakou Martin, to mark the New Year. They included
ten FAFN soldiers who had been in prison for a year, accused of theft,
possession of illegal weapons and rape, and three civilians accused of theft and
complicity in a prison escape. The Office meet with the FN authorities to
express its concerns regarding the negative impact that the release of these
prisoners could have on the fight against impunity.