UN launches campaign for post-election peace in Cote d'Ivoire
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The United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI) has taken actions on the ground with a view of sensitizing Cote d'Ivoire nationals to embrace for a peaceful environment after elections.
During a sensitization tour on Thursday at Kani, 635 km north of Abidjan, the representative of ONUCI's public information bureau, Sammy Passalet, spoke about the impartiality of the UN mission and its willingness to contribute to the preservation and promotion of peace in the country.
Passalet told the local people the importance of their participation in this campaign.
"ONUCI has done its part to restore peace in Cote d'Ivoire. Your responsibility is to maintain and safeguard those achievements," he said.
Passalet called for tolerance and respect for human rights to achieve social cohesion.
A similar campaign was held at Bondoukou, 900 km east of Abidjan, where ONUCI officials met with women leaders.
Kakobi Betche, who represented ONUCI in this meeting, called on women to have the culture of tolerance, forgiveness, gender equity, respect of human rights and mutual respect for one another. She said the role of women was crucial in maintenance of social cohesion.
"In conformity to its mandate, ONUCI has constantly worked for peace, reconciliation and tolerance," she said.
The coordinator of Cote d'Ivoire's civil society, Convention Madjalia Toure, noted that ONUCI had done a lot to restore peace in the country, despite the harassement that its officers are being subjected to by Laurent Gbagbo's supporters at the moment.
Cote d'Ivoire is currently going through a crisis since the presidential run-off on Nov. 28, when incumbent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara were both declared as the winner, respectively by the electoral commission and the Constitutional Council.
Gbagbo has demanded the departure of UN peacekeepers, accusing them of supporting his rival Ouattara. The peacekeepers say they have been targeted in attacks from Gbagbo's supporters, who have burnt their vehicles and blocked their convoys.
The UN says the post-election violence has left 271 people dead in Cote d'Ivoire.
Following rounds of mediation, the African Union (AU) has decided to send a panel of five African presidents to Cote d'Ivoire to resolve the crisis.
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