UNOCI Force at the service of peace and the people

Between 2 and 10 October 2013, the Force of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire has been assisting the local Ivorian security forces to maintain a peaceful environment throughout the country in close collaboration with the Licorne Force. At the operational level, UNOCI Force conducted 1,740 land and air patrols during the past week in the west and east of the country and Abidjan.

During the same period, the peacekeeping troops continued to carry out civilian/military activities for the benefit of the population. On 9 October, UNOCI Force assisted the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) by providing security escort for 500 Ivorian refugees returning from Liberia through the Prollo border, 30 km from Tabou. On 7 October, with the assistance of UNOCI Rule of Law office, the peacekeepers held free medical consultations and distributed food rations to detainees in the Bouaké Prison.

During the same period, 230,000 litres of potable water were distributed to the needy, while some 1,050 patients benefitted from free medical consultations and treatment offered by the various UN military contingents of UNOCI.

It is worth noting also that peacekeepers donated several school kits to underprivileged children to facilitate their return to school for the 2013-2014 academic year.