Community leaders, members of youth and women's associations in Kaoura, a sub-prefecture of Ouangolodougou, situated at 700 km north of Abidjan, were sensitized on social cohesion and peace-building Monday 9 November 2015, by the office of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) in Korhogo. The activity took place during UNOCI's sensitisation campaign known as ONUCI Tour.



Speaking on the occasion, the head of the UNOCI delegation, Civil Affairs Officer Marta Romero, urged people in Kaouara to respect the mechanisms of the management and prevention of conflicts put in place by local authorities.

"You must honour the settlements and commitments you agreed in the presence of your local authorities for the resolution of conflicts. These agreements are the basis for the preservation of social cohesion," she said.

The deputy prefect of Kaouara, Christ-Richard Kone, for his part, thanked the UN Mission for organizing the sensitization campaign. He promised to continue consultations with various community leaders in an effort to find solutions to the recurrent conflicts between cattle breeders and farmers and address rural land issue.



"We will revitalize village committees so that they are able to prevent and manage land conflict and strengthen community cohesion," he said.

UNOCI's Public Information, Civil Affairs, Human Rights sections and the United Nations Police unit explained their respective roles in the consolidation of peace and social cohesion during the meeting.



At the end of the presentations, people asked for development projects to be set up. They pledged to preserve social cohesion by respecting Ivorian laws related to settling community conflicts caused by the demarcation of rural land and the destruction of crops by stray animals.



They also expressed the wish to further strengthen their cooperation with law enforcement.