UN Côte d'Ivoire mission calls for end to arms embargo

The United Nations mission in Côte d'Ivoire has asked the Security Council to lift the arms embargo on the country so that crowd control equipment can be bought for the upcoming elections. The embargo was established in 2004 to prevent the civil war from expanding, but there hasn't been any fighting since the Ouagadougou peace accords were signed in 2007.

Reuters

Less than a year ago, the UN issued a report accusing both the New Forces rebels and the government of smuggling arms into the country.

Only a few months later, at least 11 protesters were shot dead during anti-government demonstrations in February.

But now the local UN peacekeeping mission thinks that that tear gas and other non-leathal weapons should be brought to deal with any confrontations around next month's elections.

It seems as though the military police isn't waiting for the go ahead. Colonel Yao N'Guessan was arrested two weeks ago in New York after attempting to purchase almost four million dollars’ worth of arms from undercover FBI agents.

The newly-arrived US ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Philip Carter III, knows a thing or two about African elections. He was previously posted in Madagascar and Guinea during their problematic electoral processes.

He met Prime Minister Guillaume Soro on Tuesday, and discussed the pending elections, placing a real emphasis on maintaining security for everyone throughout the process.

As far as lifting the arms embargo, Carter was diplomatic.

“With regard to the specific request for the importation of other goods, I can’t speak to that, I don’t know that specific issue, but that has to follow the correct procedures within the United Nations secretariat,” he said.