Highlights

-SRSG Choi meets with RDR leader;
-UNOCI Electoral Division chief urges Ivorian leaders to deploy all Mobile Court teams;
-Military to dismantle observation posts

Political

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Cote d'Ivoire, Y.J.Choi, met this morning with the President of the Rally for Republicans (RDR), Alassane Dramane Ouattara, as part of his first contacts with Ivorian political actors. The RDR leader is the third Ivorian political personality whom the head of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has met since his arrival in Abidjan on 20 November 2007. Yesterday, he met President Laurent Gbagbo and the President of the Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI), Henri Konan Bédié. This afternoon, Mr. Choi held a town hall meeting with UNOCI military and civilian staff in Abidjan. He will be going to Daloa and Bouake this weekend to meet staff based in Sectors East and West.

Mobile Courts

The Director of UNOCI's Electoral Assistance Division, Ahmedou El Becaye Seck, said yesterday that the Mobile Court process was still limited, pointing out that only 25 teams out of 111 previously scheduled had started operating. He urged the government to deploy the rest of teams so that the operation can cover as wide an area as possible in the country.

Identification

Burkinabés in the Guiglo area have expressed fears over President Laurent Gbagbo's decision to scrap work permits and allow foreigners to simply use their respective identity cards to a group of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with the protection of human rights. The Burkinabés say that soldiers manning checkpoints often rip up their work permits if they do not give them money, but that the permits are easy to replace. They now fear that if their national identity cards are destroyed it would hard to replace them as they need to go back to their country to do so.

Military

UNOCI troops are set to dismantle eight out of 17 observation posts along the green line before 30 November 2007. The observation posts had been set up close to the former Zone of Confidence, which was dismantled in April 2007. The dismantling of the observation posts is in line with the implementation of the Ouagadougou Political Agreement, which was signed by the Ivorian parties on 4 March 2007.

MORBATT yesterday conducted a joint patrol with UNPOL and Licorne in Bouaké, while TOGOBATT carried out a joint patrol with Licorne in Abidjan.

An advance party of some 100 PAKBATT soldiers yesterday moved from the western town of Duékoué to Bouaké while a similar number of MORBATT troops made the reverse journey as part of the Mission's new military redeployment plan. From now on MORBATT and PAKBATT will exchange their respective areas of responsibility.

MORBATT yesterday participated in a helicopter crash simulation exercise with Ghana Aviation, while another group of MORBATT soldiers and BENINBATT carried out air reconnaissance in their respective areas of responsibility.

Arms embargo

Impartial Forces soldiers were yesterday refused permission to conduct an arms embargo inspection by the Forces Nouvelles' Anaconda Brigade in Bouaké. The UNOCI and Licorne military personnel were told that there had been no prior notification. The inspection was re-scheduled for today.

UNOCI soldiers yesterday conducted two arms embargo inspections at the Gendarmerie National Brigade in the eastern town of Agnibilekro and the Forces Nouvelles Company in Doropo, near Côte d'Ivoire's northeastern border with Burkina Faso.

DDR

A patrol that visited the DDR Site at Kani near Séguéla yesterday reported that a lack of skilled labour was seriously hampering the timely completion of work in the camp, which is to provide accommodation for demobilised FN soldiers.

Security

Bah Roland, a representative of militias in Duékoué, yesterday informed UNOCI that members of the MILOCI militia group are threatening to start demonstrating in the western town of Guiglo until their demands for payment linked to disarmament are met.

Forces Nouvelles soldiers fired shots in the air and physically assaulted demonstrators in Massala, a locality near the northwestern town of Séguéla, on 11 November 2007 according to reports reaching UNOCI's teamsite in Séguéla yesterday. The people were protesting against a three-week power cut in the town. According to UNOCI Military Observers, information about the incident was received late because the FN and the local mayor had reportedly been told not to discuss the incident with UNOCI.

In a shooting incident reported in Amanikro village, near the western town of Blolequin, a local hunter killed a man thinking he was an animal. The hunter reported the incident to the Gendarmerie Brigade in Bloléquin. After a meeting between the chief of victim's clan and that of his killer, the Gendarmerie ordered the burial of the deceased.

Residents of Zego and Ahouati villages near Gagnoa [centre west] told a UNOCI patrol yesterday that despite occasional patrols by gendarmes, bandits were active in the area.

Civil Affairs

The Civil Affairs Office in Bouaké attended the official ceremony of the installation of Mr. Maurice Touré as mayor of the northern town of Katiola on 21 November 2007. The ceremony was chaired by the Préfet of the Department of Katiola, and attended by Forces Nouvelles (FN) military and political authorities. The Prefect indicated that the FN had also handed over management of four other areas in the Department, namely Fronan, Niakara, Tafiré and Tortiya, to the Prefecture. This means that, for the first time in five years, mayors will fully exercise their powers and have full involvement in the financial and administrative management of these areas. The local authorities will also be able to collect taxes in their respective areas.

Human Rights

On 20 November, the Regional Human Rights Office in Daloa investigated a case of human trafficking in Bazra Natis, situated in the Vavoua area in western Cote d'Ivoire. Three Nigerian women aged 22, 57 and 27, who introduced themselves as hairdressers and students, but who were actually working as prostitutes, had been brought to the region by a woman named Mrs. Boua Juliana, a Nigerian national who claimed to be their cousin. The Office received testimonies and reliable information from villagers that the three women were involved in prostitution. The Office urged the police prefect to take action against human traffickers who operate in the region.

The Regional Human Rights Office in Korhogo visited the civilian prison in the northern town on 22 November 2007 to investigate the case of a man who was found dead in his cell on the night of 18 November 2007. The Office discovered that the man and another inmate unsuccessfully attempted to escape from the prison after which they were severely beaten by FN guards. The victim died a few hours later from his injuries. The other inmate had marks of lashes on his back and legs. No action has been taken so far against the guards involved in this case. The Office is following up the case with the FN authorities.