UNITED NATIONS, July 19 (UPI) -- Law and order must return to Ivory Coast before the country can recover from a post-election crisis, a U.N. official testified.
Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more were displaced when Ivory Coast was pushed to the brink of civil war in a political stalemate that followed disputed presidential elections in November.
The international community recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the November contest, though incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down.
The conflict eased when French peacekeepers helped detain Gbagbo in April. Ouattara has since asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the violence.
Y.J. Choi, the U.N. special envoy to Ivory Coast, told the Security Council the West African nation still faces many challenges.
"There is a need for a rapid restoration of law and order throughout the country as this is the precondition for the other tasks to be carried out successfully," he said in his statement.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his latest report on peacekeeping operations in Ivory Coast, warned the situation in the country was still "extremely precarious."
Rights groups accuse both sides of committing atrocities during the political conflict.
"The coming six to 12 months will be critical in determining whether Ivory Coast will continue on a steady recovery from the crisis or slip back into renewed conflict," Ban said.
