« I urge all traditional chiefs, opinion leaders, community and religious leaders to address daily messages of peace to their people so that peace and social cohesion do not become victims of rumour, conflicts and human rights violations » : these were the words of the deputy prefect of Man, Claude Gervaise Djéhéré Iriké, at the opening ceremony of a workshop initiated by the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) on Thursday, 11 April 2015. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen cohabitation between security forces and local people, protection of civilians and promote reconciliation.



The workshop was organised in response to violent events which took place in Man, situated at 570 km northwest of Abidjan, during an eviction operation initiated by the local authorities in which one person died and several others were injured. It also resulted in the destruction of property and goods. The workshop was attended by 80 participants, including traditional chiefs, members of the West African immigrant communities living in Man and representatives of women and youth associations, religious dignitaries, representatives of political parties and civil society groups, as well as members of the local security forces. The theme of the event was : « Opinion leaders and security forces commit to favouring the consolidation of peace and national reconciliation ».



Speaking during the opening ceremony, the head of the UNOCI delegation, Ephraim Abwe Diabe, recalled that during an pre-electoral period, the consolidation of peace and the re-establishment of social cohesion should be the order of the day. He asked participants to play their part as individuals by respecting the norms of good governance, promoting the values of the culture of peace and respecting the laws of the land.



Explaining the objectives of the workshop, UNOCI Public Information Officer, Yacouba Kébé said that the UN Mission wanted to ensure that opuinion leaders and security forces in Man work together to share their experiences and take charge of the promoting and consolidatiing peace in the city.



The four presentations which were made by UNOCI and the Legal Clinic of Man focused on conflict and rumour management, the challenges of the Reform of the Security Sector and the Disarmament, demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process, as well as the role and responsibilities of opinion leaders and security forces in ensuring respect for human rights as part of the consolidation of peace and the promotion social cohesion. During the discussions, participants were able to identify threats to peace and cohesion.



Some of the threats identified included the political manœuvres which can weaken social cohesion, youth unemployment which makes them vulnerable to political manipulation, the problems with the DDR process which must continue because not all the weapons in Man have been handed in, the absence or lack of communication between the people and politicians.



In an attempt to identify solutions to these threats, participants insisted that civilians and the security forces must speak to each other and share information, in order to restore confidence and collaboration, which are vital in the creation of a secure and peaceful environment in Man and the region.



It should be noted that the capacity-building workshop for opinion leaders and security forces is part of an information and sensitisation campaign initiated by UNOCI to strengthen social cohesion and consolidate peace in the Mountain District in preparation for presidential election in October 2015.