Ivory Coast ex-combatants' weapons collected

Sept. 6, 2011

YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The U.N. Operation in Ivory Coast, or ONUCI, continues to support the state, a U.N. official said.

ONUCI's operations include security, disarmament, demobilization and the reintegration into civil society of former fighters, ONUCI FM radio reported Friday.

ONUCI Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Division Director Sophie Da Camara said, "The important thing in the DDR is really to accompany the fighter -- it is to return the fighter to civilian life and help him to make a lasting choice toward the realization of something that can be useful for the reconstruction of Cote d'Ivoire.

"Since April, we have recorded almost 2,000 people but we are going to continue systematically and regularly to record the fighters who present themselves to ONUCI, and of course, always in close cooperation with the military office, the prime minister's office, and the armed forces headquarters. The number of weapons and ammunition collected always changes as you can imagine.

"Today, all in all, we are moving toward almost 4,000 weapons collected, ranging from thrust weapons to heavy weapons. We also have several rounds of ammunition. There are approximately 10,000 rounds of ammunition among which we have counted grenades, for example."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/09/06/Ivory-Coast-ex-combatants-weapons-collected/UPI-92421315303800/.