In a bid to address security issues along the country's border with Liberia where deadly clashes have been recently reported, the Ivorian government has supplied the battalion stationed in the area with new equipment.

The information was reported by Fraternite Matin (p. 6). Made of army vehicles and other logistical support materials, the equipment, according to the Ivorian Minister in charge of Defense Paul Koffi Koffi, will allow the Ivorian troops to respond to attacks such as the one that claimed the lives of seven peacekeepers last month. "Today our army has the minimum...They are more mobile now and able to react more timely in the event of attack," he reportedly said during the handover ceremony Monday in Abidjan.

Still on the western region, the paper noted in a separate development (p. 7) that a site formerly used as a makeshift refugee camp located in a Catholic church was recently dismantled. According to UNHCR official Mbaye Diuof, the move has been made to allow the 700 internally-displaced persons living at the site to return to their homes.

This daily press review is compiled by the Information Section of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The opinions expressed in these reviews in no way reflect the views of the United States Government and are presented for informational purposes only. The accuracy of reports contained in this summary has not been confirmed by the Embassy.