The Principal Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire, Simon Munzu, on Thursday, 4 December 2014, in Camp Gallieni in Abidjan, took part in the launch of Open Days on Human Rights in the Army. The Open Days, the first of their kind, were launched with the aim of giving Ivorian military personnel the opportunity to become familiar with human rights and international humanitarian rights in an effort build a relationship of trust between Ivorians and the Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (Forces Républicaines de Côte d'Ivoire - FRCI).



In his address to the gathering, the FRCI Chief of Staff, General Soumaïla Bakayoko, thanked all those who had made the event possible and stressed that from now on the Ivorian Army was committed to improving the quality of its service to people. « These Open Days on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Rights are undeniable proof that we want to improve trust between ordinary people and the army and show the FRCI's commitment to respecting human rights and international humanitarian rights, » he said.



The Human Rights Adviser to the Head of State, Mamadou Diané, made a presentation on the theme of the Open Days during which he reminded members of the Ivorian Army that they should carry out their duties with tolerance, solidarity and respect for their hierarchy. He urged them to bannish torture and sexual violence as weapons of war and to always bear in mind that their mission is to protect the State and its citizens. «You should always respect human rights when carrying out your military exercises. You should aim to become trainers so that you can show your brothers in arms that they can carry our their work while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, » said Mr. Diané.



Speaking on behalf of the Head of State and his Ministry, the Delegated Minister of Defence, Paul Koffi Koffi, thanked the FRCI Chief of Staff for having taken the initiative to organise the Open Days. This initiative, he said, which comes just a few days after an angry demonstration by some elements in the Army on 18 November 2014, is opportune and shows that the Army remains solid, disciplined and committed to its vocation to protect the State and the people. Mr. Koffi Koffi, said the organisation of the Open Days on human rights and international humanitarian rights shows that the time has come to begin the hard work. In this regard, he thanked UNOCI and other partners for their support and assistance. « During the post-electoral crisis, we witnessed the sort of behaviour that was wholly unacceptable such as acts of vandalism carried out by some of our military and we condemned it. However today, we can see that there has been a lot of improvement. Now it is rare to see soldiers carrying out exactions. This tells us that the work undertaken by the Army has started bearing fruit, » he said. He then asked partner organisations to continue to support and assist the Ivorian Army.



In response, UNOCI's Principal Deputy Special Representative expressed his satisfaction at the fact that the Open Days had been organised. He said that this showed that the FRCI authorities were conscious of the need to promote human rights and international humanitarian rights at all levels of the Army. « An army which does not respect human rights is encouraging tyranny. Luckily this is not the sort of army that Ivorians want for Côte d'Ivoire. I therefore welcome the fact that the highest echelons of the Ivorian Army is aware of the need to promote human rights and international humanitarian rights. And as usual, the whole of the United Nations, particularly UNOCI, is ready to support the national effort in this regard, » said Mr. Munzu.



The opening ceremony included the screening of a film on a training programme on human rights and humanitarian rights for the military. The official opening ceremony ended with a visit to stands set up by various partner organisations.



The Open Days which are scheduled to end on 6 December, will be visited by the Ivorian Prime Minister on Friday, 5 December 2014.