- The UN Security Council has appealed for concerted efforts towards the publication of the final voter’s list ahead of the much delayed national polls scheduled for 29 November.
The 15-member body has urged Ivorian parties to set aside their differences in the spirit of reconciliation and dialogue. Over 6.5 million Ivorians have been identified and registered by the electoral body for elections.
The Council stressed its support for the Ouagadougou Agreement, the 2007 blueprint for political reconciliation in the West African country which has been divided since 2002 between the Government-held south and a northern area dominated by the rebel Forces Nouvelles.
Viet Nam’s Ambassador Le Luong Minh said the Council has also agreed that the long-term peace, stability and development of Côte d’Ivoire was also dependent on the balanced and comprehensive settlement of many other security, socio-economic and cross-border challenges.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Young-Jin Choi said unlike other peacekeeping operations around the world, including those in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) does not plan elections.
Earlier this month, Young-Jin Choi warned that technical difficulties may adversely affect the timeline for the country’s long-awaited presidential elections, which were to have been held as far back as 2005.
The head of the UNOCI, said that two months have already been lost, but noted that some successful political developments, such as the establishment of mobile court hearings across the country and the end of voter registration.
The Ivorian polls have stalled since October 2005 due to a division between the rebel north and government-controlled south, separated by a buffer zone patrolled by UN and French peacekeepers.
In May the former Ivorian rebels also called on their leader, Guillaume Soro, to quit the prime minister’s post and distance himself from the government, after accusing the government of stalling the processes leading to elections as prescribed in the peace agreement in 2007.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.