Highlights

- SRSG meets with President of the Republic
- ONUCI FM Hosts Round Table with Leaders of CEI, INS, CNSI and PM's Office on Identification and Electoral Census
- ONUCI's Artistic Caravan for Peace sensitizes the population of Ferkéssedougou

SRSG Makes Working Visit to President of the Republic

The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, is scheduled to meet this afternoon with Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. Among other subjects, the SRSG is expected to discuss the identification and electoral census process and the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Accords.

Electoral process

This morning the Vice President of the CEI (Independent Electoral Commission) Ms. Fatoumata Traore, the Deputy Director General of ONI (National Office of Identification) Mr. Seri Wayoro, Mr.Koffi Yua, President of the National Commission of the CNSI (National Commission for the Supervision of the Identification process) and Ibrahima Ba, the Technical Council for elections to the Prime Minister, participated in a Round Table discussion on identification and electoral census process.

The Round Table discussion, recorded in an ONUCI FM studio at the Operation's headquarters in Abidjan, will be aired in two half-hour segments a number of times over the coming days. The technical explanations of the identification and electoral census process will be translated into five national languages (Baoulé, Bété, Malinké, Wê and Yacouba) and will be broadcast regularly as the process begins expand throughout the country. This project was created and promoted by the communication group of the government, and mirrors a similar Round Table discussion that was carried on RTI, the National Television station, last month. The Public Information Division of UNOCI has put all of its resources at the disposition of the government's communication committee in order to help with the massif task of informing all Ivoirians about this process.

The Electoral Assistance Division of UNOCI in Abidjan visited more than 80 of the 774 collection sites planned in the economic capital. UNOCI Election Officers from around the country have reported that there is a flurry of activity (delivery of equipment and identification material, trainings, cleaning of official sites) as the identification and electoral census process is preparing to continue its expansion throughout the country.

Outreach: UNOCI Caravan Visists Prime Minister's Hometown

UNOCI's Artisitc Caravan arrived in the northern city of Ferkéssedougou today. Theatre groups, dancers and well-known musicians began a four-hour sensitization concert at 15.00. The Focal Point for Korhogo, Mr. Axel Queval, explained the mandate of the Mission and highlighted the work that the UN is doing to help with the electoral process and the redeployment of the administration to the North, Centre and West of the country. All of the artistic material, songs, poems and theatre, carried messages about tolerance, human rights, reconciliation and civic education. As the concert was launched, thousands of people had come to listen and dance.

Security

A Forces nouvelles soldiers, who was caught robbing a home on the 2 October in the northwestern town of Man, and was arrested and detained by the gendarmerie, was released. As a result of this, the residents of the community protested to the prefect of Man and threatened to take the law into their own hands in the future due to inaction on the part of Forces nouvelles authorities, concerning criminal acts perpetrated by members of the military.

Embargo Inspections

UNOCI Military and Police successfully conducted two arms embargo inspections yesterday, one in Odienne, in the Samantiguila sector, at the 82nd Infantry Battalion of the FAFN Kaniasso, and a second in Daoukro at the Gendarme base in Arrah. One other embargo inspection was re-scheduled in Bouaké, and a fourth, to be conducted near Bouna, was not conducted due to impassible road following heavy rain.

Human Rights

On 3 September, a seven year-old girl was victim of severe sexual and physical assault in the neighbourhood of Kotchakro in Bouaké. She was violently abducted on her way to the market by a man who took her to an uninhabited house. In the house, the man cut off the girl's genitals with a razor and carefully placed them in a plastic bag he had brought. He then put a large brick on her back to prevent her from fleeing. Following the intervention of the Regional Human Rights Office in Bouaké the girl was placed in a relief centre for victims of sexual violence. The Dar-es-Salam Police Station has opened an investigation into the case. (Comments: A similar case was reported on 27 September, when a six year-old girl was found dead under the same circumstances).

On 6 October, the Regional Human Rights Office in Bouaké reported that a demobilized FN element, suspected of being an insurgent, was arrested on 24 September by elements of "Anaconda Brigade" of Commander Wattao. He was later held in incommunicado detention at the Brigade de Recherche de Bouaké. His house was searched and his personnel belongings, including a motorcycle, taken away. During the night of 3 to 4 October, another former FN element kept in custody at the Mankono police station on suspicion of theft and illegal possession of firearms, was found dead in his cell. Local authorities claimed that he hanged himself.

Ends