Côte d’Ivoire
December 2012
During an open debate on the subject of peacekeeping operations on 12 December, several Council members cited the increasing cooperation between UNOCI and UNMIL as a positive example of inter-mission cooperation to fill critical gaps. In other developments, on the same day, the ICC confirmed that proceedings against former President Laurent Gbagbo will start in February 2013.
October 2012
On 25 October, the Council was briefed in consultations by Ambassador Gert Rosenthal (Guatemala), chair of the 1572 Sanctions Committee, on the midterm report of the Group of Experts that assists the Committee. The report highlighted recent security developments in Côte d’Ivoire, including the existence of a command centre infrastructure set up by the pro-Gbagbo rebels in Accra, Ghana as well as training camps in eastern Liberia. The report also cited military actions that have been conducted since early 2012 in Côte d’Ivoire from Ghana and the transfer of funds from Ghana to Liberia, which is identified as a recruitment platform and rear operating base. Earlier in the month, on 16 October, the Council received a letter from the Secretary-General noting that in light of the “deterioration in the security situation in Côte d’Ivoire as well as evolving threats”, it was recommended that the Council defer the reduction of UNOCI’s military strength—which had been authorised on 26 July in resolution 2062—until after an assessment to be conducted early in 2013. The letter referred to “attacks targeting national security forces in and around Abidjan and along the borders with Ghana and Liberia, resulting in the killing of Ivorian security personnel and assailants.”
