Women traders of Carrefour quarters in Lakota, 244 km north-west of Abidjan, have been bearing a grudge against one another which aggravated during the 2010 post electoral crisis and led to the death of two people.



In a bid to reconcile the women, the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI0, in collaboration with local administrative authorities, political and traditional leaders of Lakota on 3 December 3, 2014 initiated dialogue aimed resolving the misunderstanding at the municipal council.

Some 50 women traders from the different communities, supported by traditional Chiefs and youth representatives agreed to reflect and propose solutions that would restore calm and strengthen social cohesion in Carrefour quarters and the Lakota division.



The women made a commitment, in the presence of local and regional administrative authorities including the President of the Regional Council, Roland Zapka Komenan, the Mayor, Samy Merhy and traditional leaders to bury their differences and seal their reconciliation. "We will not allow politicians to divide us again," they swore.



The Prefect of Lakota, Yahaya Coulibaly who presided over the reconciliation ceremony welcomed the commitment of the women and called on the traditional leaders to be guarantors of the engagement and ensure its application. He encouraged the women to implement their resolutions which include a decision to make a reconciliation tour of the division and sensitize the rest of the population to promote social cohesion.



The women traders took the opportunity to request local authorities to build a storage magazine for goods and to finance trading activities in Carrefour Lokota.