NAIROBI, Kenya, June 20 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch praised the Liberian government for taking strong action against alleged perpetrators of cross-border attacks in Ivory Coast.
U.N. peacekeepers came under attack in early June in Ivory Coast while on patrol near the Liberian border. The mission said an undetermined number of Ivorians were killed along with seven members of the peacekeeping unit.
Human Rights Watch had said rebel fighters in the country remained loyal to forces fighting in opposition to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. Liberian authorities last week arrested 10 militants suspected of having a role in the cross-border attacks.
Matt Wells, a researcher for the West African program at Human Rights Watch, said Liberia deserves praise for taking swift action against militants engaged in regional violence.
"With effective cooperation on both sides of the border, the attackers should know that there is no safe refuge from justice," he said in a statement from Kenya.
Ivorian authorities last week said a plot to overthrow Ouattara's government may have been hatched with the help of Liberian mercenaries.
Cross-border attacks were rampant during post-election fighting that ended in April 2011 with the arrest of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo. He's awaiting trial on war crimes charges at The Hague.
