Highlights

- Regrouping process restarts in Bouaké and Kani
- Mayor of Bouaké officially takes over the city

DDR

A special technical meeting on the problems of organizing the 3rd phase of the regrouping process in Bouaké and the second phase in Kani was held yesterday at the Forces Nouvelles HQ in Bouaké. The meeting was attended by UNOCI's military and civilian staff as well as representatives from Integrated Command Centre. Meanwhile the third phase of the regrouping of 950 ex-combatants started in Bouaké yesterday while the regrouping of 450 ex-combatants was due to start in Kani today.
Security
UNOCI Force Commander, General Fernand Amoussou yesterday presented the Mission's security plan for the electoral process to military and defence attaches from ten embassies in Cote d'Ivoire.
Arms embargo

Arms embargo inspections were successfully carried out yesterday the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles' (FAFN) 54th Battalion in Kongasso, near Séguéla (northwest) at its unit in Touba (north), at its 37th Battalion Infantry at Angoua Yaokro, near Bouaké (centre) and its 11th Battalion in Dabako, near Bouna (north east). Meanwhile a similar inspection was carried out at the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d'Ivoire's (FDSCI) Gendarmerie Brigade in Daoukro (east) and at its Air base in San Pedro (south).

Civil administration

The Mayor of Bouaké, Mr Ibrahima Fanny, today officially announced that, as from tomorrow, 5 June 2008, his office will retake full responsibility for the management of the city's resources. This comes as the result of the decision, by the Forces Nouvelles' authorities, to give back to respective mayors, the management of the resources of their cities in the zones formerly controlled by the Movement.

Human Rights

On 3 June, the Regional Human Rights Office in Duékoué conducted a mission in Man to assess the detention conditions in the local prison. The Office noted with concern that the 58 inmates were facing appalling health and hygienic conditions in the prison. A tuberculosis epidemic that erupted had infected 21 inmates. Given the lack of medical facilities and to avoid widespread contagion of the remaining inmates, the prison officials had released the sick inmates to enable them to get treatment outside.

On 2 June, the Regional Human Rights Office in Daloa conducted a training session for 31 members of the NGO Organisation chrétienne des Jeunes Unis pour le Droit - Côte d'Ivoire (OCJUD-CI) on women's and children's rights. The one-day session, which is a follow-up to a previous one on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, focused on international human rights standards relating to women and children. Official UN documents, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 were distributed.

NB: Former Forces Nouvelles member Ibrahim Coulibaly was today sentenced to four years in prison in abstentia by a French court on charges that he masterminded a failed coup d'etat against President Laurent Gbagbo in 2003.