Cote d'Ivoire: Ivorian Authorities Kick-Off Small Arms Destruction As Reintegration of Former Combatants Lingers

According to a report in Fraternite Matin (p. 6) some 600 weapons were destroyed yesterday in Abidjan in what officials said was the kick-off of the destruction of small arms collected since the end of the post-election violence. The operation, the paper said was carried out by a government-sponsored task force known as the COMNAT-ALPC. According to its president, Inspector General Desire Adjoussou, about 2,000 weapons have been collected since last year. Supported by the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), the operation can be extended with more resources, according to the Ivorian Interior Minister.

This information came as an article in Nord-Sud Quotidien (p. 4) noted that a census of former combatants initially scheduled to start yesterday in Bouake was postponed. According to the paper, authorities cited logistical issues as the reason for the delay. The operation is to resume shortly, the paper added.

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