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UN / COTE D’IVOIRE WRAP
STORY: UN / COTE D’IVOIRE WRAP
TRT: 1.59
SOURCE: UNTV/ ONUCI
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: 20 DECEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE
FILE - RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN building
20 DECEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, Security Council vote
3. Wide shot, Rice walks to the stakeout position
FILE - RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
4. Close up, camera
20 DECEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“The members of the Security Council after the unanimous adoption of Security Council resolution 1962 remain deeply concerned about the continued violence in Côte d’Ivoire, including armed attacks against UNOCI and multiple civilian fatalities, many more wounded and even more being displaced across Côte d’Ivoire.”
FILE - RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
6. Close up, reporter’s notepad
20 DECEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms acts of violence against UNOCI and recall its resolution 1502 of 2003 on Protection of United Nations personnel, associated personnel and humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.”
FILE - RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
8. Close up, reporter’s notepad
20 DECEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“With respect to the mercenaries allegedly being utilized in Cote d’Ivoire, we’re aware of those reports; to my knowledge, they have not yet been confirmed. If they are confirmed, it would be a source of grave concern, not only for the United States, but indeed, for the entire Security Council.”
16 DECEMBER 2010, ABIDJAN, COTE D’IVOIRE
10. Wide shot, ambulance backing up
11. Close up, injured protester receiving assistance
12. Wide shot, ambulance seen through chain link wire
13. Various shots, injured being carried into ambulance
14. Various shots, injured being carried into hospital
15. Pan left, injured laying on hospital beds
Rebuffing a demand by Côte d'Ivoire’s president that the United Nations (UN) mission leave after it certified his electoral defeat, the Security Council today (20 December) renewed the nearly 9,000-strong force for another six months, foreshadowed a possible increase and threatened sanctions against those imperilling peace.
At the same time, the mission, known by its acronym UNOCI, accused Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to step down despite international recognition of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as the clear victor in November’s run-off poll, of launching a new wave of harassment against its staff, including night-time knocks on the door by armed men, after the earlier shooting at a UN convoy.
In a unanimous resolution, the Council condemned “in the strongest possible terms the attempts to usurp the will of the people and undermine the integrity of the electoral process and any progress in the peace process in Côte d'Ivoire,” where UNOCI has been supporting efforts over the past seven years to reunify the West African country, which was split by civil war in 2002 into a Government-controlled south and a rebel-held north.
Adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter that allows for the use of force, the resolution denounced post-electoral violence that has claimed at least 50 lives and asked Ban to facilitate dialogue between all sides, urging them to respect Ouattara’s victory as endorsed by the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in a poll that was meant to be a culminating step in the peace process.
In a press statement read after its meeting by United States Ambassador Susan Rice, the Council reiterated its deep concern at the continued violence, including armed attacks against UNOCI, and warned all those responsible that they will be brought to justice.
Responding to reports of Liberian mercenaries amid Gbagbo’s forces, Rice said that if confirmed, “it would be a source of grave concern, not only for the United States, but indeed, for the entire Security Council.”
Clashes between marchers and Gbagbo’s military forces have led to numerous casualties – at least 50 killed, 200 injured, 470 arbitrarily arrested and detained, and many disappearances, according to tentative UN estimates.
Starting on 15 December, Gbagbo’s supporters began increasing hostile acts against the international community, and began reinforcing checkpoints on the access road to the Golf Hotel, blocking UNOCI vehicles, including an ambulance carrying medical personnel, and sporadically denying access to food and water supply trucks, depriving civilians and UN peacekeepers of water, food and medicines.
The following night, a UN patrol was followed by a civilian car with six military uniformed men who fired at it as it entered UNOCI headquarters. They continued to fire at a sentry on the wall, who fired back.
On Saturday, Gbagbo’s camp began sending armed men, generally during the night, to the homes of some UN staff, knocking at the door and asking them their departure date or entering their residence under the pretext of looking for weapons.
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