Highlights

- Celebration of International Day of Peace under good auspices in Côte d'Ivoire, says SRSG
- Force Commanders discuss security provisions for elections
- DSRSG honoured for work with internally displaced persons

International Day of Peace

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Y.J. Choi, has said that International Day of Peace was being celebrated under good auspices in Côte d'Ivoire, thanks to a number of positive developments registered towards the resolution of the crisis, the most recent of which is the launch of the identification and voter registration operation. In a message broadcast to UNOCI staff today to commemorate the Day, Mr. Choi urged the actors in the Ivorian peace process to work together to establish a definitive peace in the country. The Special Representative launched a vibrant appeal at all the parties, particularly the former belligerent forces, to continue to maintain the peaceful environment that now exists throughout the country. In order to achieve a definitive peace, Mr. Choi urged all parties to work together to ensure peace for the population and thus create the right conditions for their participation in open, free, fair and transparent elections.

Military

UNOCI's Force Commander and Police Commissioner, General Fernand Marcel Amoussou and Commissioner Pierre Andre Campiche today participated in a meeting with the Force Commander of Licorne and the Chiefs of Staff of the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (FDSCI) and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) on security provisions for forthcoming elections at the headquarters of the Integrated Command Centre (ICC) in Yamoussokro (centre).

Security

UNOCI has received reports that 38 prisoners escaped from Bouaké prison during the night of the 17 and morning of 18 September 2008. The prison manager said that the prisoners escaped through the roof of the building in which they were being held and that nine of them had already been recaptured.

A group of unidentified individuals, armed with AK-47 guns and handmade pistols, beat up and shot a shopkeeper, when they burgled his premises on 16 September 2008 in Duékoué (west). The attackers severely injured the shop owner's left hand, before escaping with 100,000 FCFA (approx $220), a mobile phone and various merchandise.

DSRSG honoured

The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire and UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator, Georg Charpentier, was made an Officer of the Order of Merit and Solidarity on 17 September 2008, by Minister of Solidarity and War Victims, Louis Andre Dacoury-Tabley. According to Mr Darcoury-Tabley the honour is in recognition of the DSRSG's work as head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), to help internally displaced persons voluntarily return to their places of origin.

Arms embargo

UNOCI peacekeepers yesterday successfully carried out arms embargo inspections at the gendarmerie brigades in Niable, near Abengourou (east), Didievi, near Yamoussoukro and at the FAFN's Unit in Pogo, near Ferkéssedougou (north east).

Human Rights

On 15 September, the Regional Human Rights Office in Bouaké met a 16-year-old girl, who claimed she was a victim of forced marriage and requested the intervention of the Office in her case. She said that she was forced by her parents to marry her cousin who is an FAFN ex-combatant. She ran away from home on the eve of the marriage on 5 April 2008 but on her return on 2 June 2008, she was taken to her "husband's" home where she said she was repeatedly beaten up and raped by him. She said she again fled after two weeks and went into hiding with the help of an acquaintance living in Bouaké. The Office has made arrangements to meet the girl's parents to try to settle the case.

The Human Rights Regional Office in Bouaké is monitoring the situation regarding six FAFN-soldiers who were arrested in Seguéla and Vavoua last week and transferred to the city on 16 September 2008. According to reports received by the Office, two of the soldiers have now been redeployed in Korhogo (north east), while another two were sent to Bouna (north east) but there is no news of the remaining two.