Highlights

- Bad weather forces PDSRSG to cancel 1000 microprojects meeting in Bouna
- Demonstrating ex-combatants to meet Ivorian PM
- Ethnic tension rises in Guéhiébly following businessman's murder

Micro projects

The Principal Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cote d'Ivoire, Mr. Abou Moussa, was this morning forced to cancel a meeting to promote UNOCI "1000 microprojects" initiative in Bouna (north) due to bad weather. The plane carrying Mr. Moussa, who was due to meet local authorities, traditional leaders and young people to explain the initiative for the reintegration of ex-combatants, militias and young people at risk, could not land in Bouna due to heavy rains and was forced to return to Abidjan after the weather failed to clear up after a few hours.

Ex-combatants demonstration

Some 300 ex-combatants of the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN), who have been demonstrating for the past two days in Bouaké, finally decided to lift the roadblocks they set up at 10p.m last night after length negotiations. It was reported that Prime Minister Guillaume Soro will meet with them some time next week but no date has been confirmed. Mr. Soro, has however, made it clear that nobody would be given 5 million FCFA as "war allowance". Meanwhile, a leader of the demonstrating ex-combatants has made a threatening phone call to UNOCI, accusing it of broadcasting lies on its radio station, ONUCI FM, claiming the ex-combatants had fired shots during their demonstrations. The caller was told that it was not ONUCI who made the claims but a local newspaper and that the radio had merely mentioned what the newspaper had claimed. However, he refused to accept that the explanation and continued with his threats.

Security

An armed robber yesterday inadvertently shot himself during an attack on a car along the Guiglo - Tai road, about five km from Guiglo. The attacker was struggling with a female passenger who refused to hand over her money when his gun went off. Local police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Four armed masked men yesterday broke into the house of a businessman in Guehiebly, some 15 km from Bangolo in western Cote d'Ivoire and stole 150,000 FCFA from his wife, who was in the house alone. A group of local youths who had formed a vigilante committee tried to stop the burglars but they escaped after shooting one of the youths in the neck. The young man later died. According to Bangolo Mixed Brigade, robbers have been operating in Beoue-Zagna and Binao, some 10km south of Bangolo, for the past few weeks.

UNOCI has received reports of tension between the immigrant communities and the Guéres in Guéhiébly, near Duékoue (west), following the murder of a Malian businessman in the village by armed bandits between the night of 20 August and the morning of 21 August 2008,. The immigrant communities claim that the Guéres murdered him. The Guéres deny the accusation. UNOCI brought the reports to the attention of the Prefet of Duékoue, who immediately alerted the Mixed Brigade in Bangolo (west) and sent the Sous Prefet of Guéhiébly to the village to meet with leaders of the different communities with a view to resolving the problem.

DDR

The 9th phase of the demobilization process ended yesterday in the 3rd battalion camp in Bouaké. 1000 FAFN soldiers were expected but only 764 were demobilized, including 432 who will join the new united army.

Arms embargo

Arms embargo inspections were yesterday successfully carried out by UNOCI peacekeepers at the Defence and Security Forces of Cote d'Ivoire's (FDS-CI) Gendarmerie Brigade at Niable, near Abengourou (east) and at its air unit detachment in Yamoussoukro airport (centre).

Human Rights

The Human Rights Regional Office in Daloa yesterday received reports that a woman was arbitrarily detained for three days, from 17 to 20 August 2008, at the gendarmerie in Seguela (centre west), on the orders of a demobilized FAFN soldier. According to the victim's statements, she was beaten, detained and threatened with death several times by the ex-combatant who demanded she return 25 000 FCFA (around 56 USD) that he given her when they were having a relationship. After her release, she said that she was told she would be arrested again if she did not return the money. The Office is following up the case.

On 20 August, the Regional Human Rights Office in Duékoué met with the local authorities to discuss the prevailing insecurity in western part of the country, which negatively impacts on the human rights situation. On the night of 19 August 2008, two married women from Beoue-Zagna village, six km from Duékoué (west), were raped by a group of unidentified armed men who attacked the village. Other villagers had their personal belongings stolen by the assailants.