The associations of war victims in Côte d'Ivoire are now be able to come together in one confederation. The confederation was created on Friday, August 2, 2013, in Abidjan, at the end of a seminar on reparations in the context of transitional justice organized by the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), in collaboration with the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CDVR) and the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).



The representative of UNOCI's Human Rights Division said that the seminar was an opportunity for the associations who speak on the behalf of war victims, to make their needs known. By coming together in a confederation, she said, these organizations will attract greater attention from the government and international institutions. She urged them to avoid leadership crises and focus primarily on the interests of the victims of the crisis.



For his part, Soumahoro Drissa, the spokesman of the Associations of Victims, said that he appreciated the seminar. "This seminar has helped us identify the concepts of transitional justice and advocacy strategies. We have also understood during this seminar the role of our partners in transitional justice, such as CDVR and UNOCI," he said.



Mr. Drissa promised that lessons learned during the seminar will be used to properly assist war victims.