UNOCI and French Licorne Destroy Heavy Weaponry used by Pro-Gbagbo Camp
The heavy weaponry used by forces loyal to former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo are destroyed at a naval base in Locodjoro, a neighbourhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast on April 10, 2011, as part of a joint operation by the UN mission there (UNOCI) and French Licorne forces to prevent the use of heavy weapons against civilians and UN peacekeepers. Ivorian civilians, UNOCI, and supporters of new president Alassane Ouattara, have all come under attack by Gbagbo loyalists since Mr. Gbagbo’s loss in 2010 presidential elections.UPI/GLENNA GORDON/UN
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The political culture in Ivory Coast remains fragmented despite democratic progress made since contentious 2010 elections, a U.N. rights envoy said.
The International Criminal Court said Tuesday it rejected a challenge to the admissibility of the case against former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.
Long-term recovery in Ivory Coast would be supported by focusing on the country's political problems, Human Rights Watch said.
The security situation in Ivory Coast could quickly deteriorate despite recent security gains, the U.S. State Department warned.
Ivory Coast has a ways to go before it makes a clean break from civil conflict that resurfaced in the wake of disputed 2010 elections, a rights official said.
"Warlord-style predatory economic activities" of ex-Ivory Coast rebel leaders integrated into the military include smuggling cocoa beans, a U.N. report said.
Proliferation of weapons in Ivory Coast poses a significant threat to national stability and reconstruction, the U.N. Security Council said.
Members of former President Laurent Gbagbo's party say they will sit out when Ivory Coast voters go to the polls for this weekend's local elections.
If peacekeepers leave Ivory Coast, national protection should be bolstered by the use of surveillance drones, the Ivorian envoy to the United Nations said.
Ivory Coast is still flush with weapons more than two years after an end to post-election conflict, a researcher from Amnesty International said.
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