"I'm happy that you came to sensitise us on social cohesion, gender-based violence and children's rights," said the village chief, Léon Siesson Bah, to the team from the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), which, on 1 August 2013, had organized an information and sensitization session with the people of Beoua-Zibiao, in the department of Bangolo, situated 542 km northwest of Abidjan.



The UNOCI team was composed of United Nations Police (UNPOL) and personnel from the Mission's Civil Affairs, Child Protection, Security and Public Information sections.



"I would like to invite you to return to village after today to sensitise us again so that social cohesion, which unfortunately has been at an all-time low due to misunderstandings, can be reestablished here," he added. According to villagers, a land dispute, which started on 17 July 2013, is the cause of the misunderstandings in Beoua-Zibiao and despite the best efforts of the village chief, a solution has still not been found.



The UNOCI officials urged the villagers to commit to certain values to help their chief in his efforts to find peace. "The village chief should be supported and respected by everyone while carrying out his functions; he needs the support of community leaders and all the inhabitants of his village in order to carry out his mission, which consists of maintaining social cohesion, reconciliation and peace," they told the villagers.



The patriarch of the village, for his part, had a few requests to improve the lives of his villagers, especially with regard to access to potable water, electricity and the rehabilitation of classrooms at the local school.