The people of Zebra village, 10 km from Daloa town, have been urged to work towards a violence- free election in 2015. The call was made on 8 October 2015 during a grassroots sensitization tour of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) known as ONUCI-Tour.



An official of UNOCI Political Affairs Office in Daloa, Said Bacar Hussein who led the delegation said the aim of the visit was to help the different communities in Zebra avoid a reoccurrence of the painful events observed during the 2010 presidential election in certain localities in Cote d'Ivoire.

"An election is like a mere game. Avoid violence. UNOCI encourages you to give priority to peace and development of your village; peace being the precondition for all development. Get involved in the peace and national reconciliation process so that in unity you can boost the development of Zebra," he advised.



Other components of UNOCI including the Public Information; Human Rights; Civil Affairs; Disarmament, Demobilsation and Reintegration and HIV/AIDS Offices took turns to explain their activities to the population.

Anicet Bekrou of the Public Information Office in Daloa called on the population to refrain from spreading rumour, especially during the election period. "The election period is very sensitive and rumours can contribute immensely to hamper social cohesion between the different communities living in your village. As soon as you get any information, you should automatically share it with your Chief. He would know how to verify it. If the information is accurate, report to the competent authorities," he recommended.



The Chief of Zebra village, Tape Dieme expressed satisfaction with the UNOCI initiative which he said would enable his people understand the game of politics and especially to avoid violence.