UNOCI's Benin
battalion rehabilitates club in Toulépleu

Agence
Ivoirienne de Presse (AIP) –
The Prefect of
Toulépleu, Diarra Abdul Karim, on 21 August received from the Commander of
UNOCI's 13^th battalion deployed in the zone, the keys of the club
which was rehabilitated by the Béninois battalion of the UN mission in Côte
d'Ivoire (UNOCI). Prefect Diarra said he was grateful to the Ivorian government
and the State of Côte d'Ivoire and he called on the municipality and district
youth to make good use of this socio-cultural facility which he said, should now
serve as genuine forum for strengthening reconciliation and social cohesion in
the locality. On this occasion, 37 disabled persons in the district of Bacoubly
were also provided with clothes donated by an NGO called "Oulia, good shepherd
for capable handicapped persons in Côte d'Ivoire" (OBBCI), in partnership with
the Rotary Club.

Blaise Compaoré
calls for respect of 31 October 2010

Fraternité Matin
 –
On the occasion of a working visit to Abidjan on 22 February 2010, His
Excellency Mr. Blaise Compaoré, President of the Burkina Faso, Facilitator of
the inter Ivorian direct dialogue, held talks with the Ivorian parties and the
international community on the need to preserve the achievements of the
electoral process and continue the process until its completion with the
organization of open, free and transparent elections in Côte d'Ivoire. [...] The
Facilitator reiterates his availability and commitment to continue to search in
concert with all the political actors, the appropriate solutions for a peaceful
crisis-resolution, through the organization of free and transparent elections on
31 October 2010. At last, the Facilitator calls on the population to show
serenity and restraint in order to successfully execute the tasks envisaged in
the IEC's electoral timetable.  

Security
arrangements for elections on 31 October – Force Licorne: Gbagbo does not it
anymore!

Soir Info  –
The coming days could be eventful in Côte d'Ivoire. In the heat of the upcoming
presidential elections, the issue of the presence of French troops in the
country is about to crop up again. The security arrangements for presidential
election on 31 October 2010 are a serious concern to the Ivorian presidential
camp. If the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI, party in power) and its allies are
about to toe the line on the issue of the disarmament of ex-combatants' of the
Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles (FAFN), they however dread the presence of
the French Licorne Force in Côte d'Ivoire. The rapid intervention Force is part
of the UN forces which will participate in concert with the Integrated Command
Centre (ICC) in providing security for the presidential election as well as the
Ivorian population. Our sources indicate that in a few weeks, probably before
the end of September, the presidential majority (LMP) will tackle the issue of
Force Licorne's departure or at least keeping it away from the security
arrangements for the upcoming elections. [...] The president's office in Abidjan
believes that France, under the leadership of Sarkozy, supports the major
candidates of the Ivorian opposition namely Henri Konan Bédié of the Democratic
Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) and Alassane Dramane Ouattara (ADO) of the Rally
of Republicans (RDR). "With regard to election in Côte d'Ivoire, Gbagbo will be
elected... My time has come... I will win elections... We will win these elections
because God cannot leave his children in the mud and support criminals... The
persons you support in Côte d'Ivoire will never be elected against me", Gbagbo
said implicitly to France while receiving on Saturday 28 August 2010 in Mama
(his native village), the natives of the Moyen Cavally region. In spite of its
confidence to win the presidential election on 31 October, the presidential camp
does not want to give France the opportunity to "oppose" its victory. [...]

Côte d'Ivoire –
Normalization: the Forces Nouvelles met with the UNDP to talk about the
reintegration of the demobilized.

Forces Nouvelles
information website (fncinfo.com) –
A delegation of
the UN Development Program (UNDP) met last Monday with the deputy Chief of staff
at the office of the Forces Nouvelles Secretary- General, Cissé Sindou. The
objective of the UNDP was to assess progress of its reintegration projects in
the Bandama Valley.

« We have come
to meet with the Forces Nouvelles to discuss about the orientation of our
actions to better conduct our activities in the field» the Chief of UNDP office
of Bouake, Masanga Tedika said... Mr. Masanga wanted the full collaboration of the
Forces Nouvelles for the success of UNDP's activities in the Bandama Valley.

«We will now
plead with donors for enough funds to take the maximum number possible of
demobilized persons and put them under acceptable social conditions, lest they
go back their former way of life, » Mr. Masanga said. M. Sindou said it would be
desirable that the budget allocated to the rehabilitation is increased to take
into account the maximum number of demobilized persons. He also lamented the
mismatch between the projects established for the demobilized and the reality on
the ground. Masanga Tedika said that right now UNDP in partnership with the OIC
and the French Cooperation Agency has reintegrated some 550 former combatants in
Bouaké and 150 young people at risk in Katiola. The UNDP asked the secretary
general of the Forces Nouvelles for clarification as to the total number of the
demobilized.

After 5000
ex-rebels- militiamen demand their quota in the new army.

L'Inter  –

Watchard Kédjébo and Fofana Youssouf, leaders of the Coordination
for the patriotic movements of the center, north, and west zone met with the
press on Monday, August 30, 2010 in a restaurant of Zone 4. They wanted to
express their anger because the army authorities did not take them into account
in the disarmament process. They, therefore, demanded the quota of militiamen in
the new army. Watchard and Fofana said that they do not understand why some 5000
soldiers of the Forces Nouvelles are integrated to the new army while members of
self-defense groups are completely ignored.

"We welcome the
end of the cantonment in northern, central, and western zone, and we
congratulate the FAFN and the FDS, and all the actors of that process. We cannot
help worrying: while 5,000 former rebels are integrated into the new army, we,
members of the self-defense groups, who fought to save the Republic, are left
out of the process. There is a big problem here!" Watchard said with approval of
Fofana. According to him, the self-defense groups will never accept to be
sacrificed in the name of peace. "The peace must not be against us, but with us.
That is why we demand the integration of members of self-defense movements in
the new army. If we are not heard and nothing is done for us, we will do
everything we can to be heard" he threatened, calling all the militia groups to
get ready to engage the battle for their integration into the army. [...]