Women Protest UN Operations In Cote D'Ivoire

Women Protest UN Operations In Cote D'Ivoire

Thousands of women have stormed the United Nations operations base in Sebroko, Abidjan, asking the peacekeepers to close their operations in Cote d'Ivoire. 

The women, some with bare chests, chanted war songs and booed as they pressed to the UN base situated on a hill top in Sebroko in the outskirts of the Ivorian capital.

Some of the women carried placards, some of which read:  “UN leave now, UN is our enemy, not a friend; UN stop killing our children and “UN it's time to go”.

The Ivorian soldiers had to fire warning shots in the air to stop the women from invading the UN base.

“We will not go back or rest until the UN leaves Cote d'Ivoire,” Christelle Yao, one of the coordinators of the march said.

UN operations spokesman, Hamadoun Toure said the Ivorians had the right to vent their grievance so long as it was done without violence.

The women, who cut off traffic to the UN base, embarked on wild dancing, chanting of war songs and waving of leaves as they charged to the UN base.

Accused of complicity
President Laurent Gbagbo had in December 2010 accused the UN of complicity in the Cote D'Ivoire's political crisis by siding with his political opponent, Alassane Ouattara.

Gbagbo had asked the UN to leave the country.

However, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said that the peace-keepers would not leave until they actualised their mandate in Cote d'Ivoire to protect innocent citizens.

Violence on protesters

Ouattara's government in Abidjan said the killing of six protesting women would turn the tide in the three month-old Ivorian political crisis.

Six women were gunned down by Ivorian soldiers while showing their support for the internationally recognized president of Cote d'Ivoire, Ouattara in Abobo, Abidjan.

“They have used force on the innocent so we have decided that the only option now will be the use of force, at least that is what they understand,'' Ouattara's spokesman, Patrick Achi, said.

In his words, “I think we are coming to the end of discussions. We never imagined that an army tank could open fire on innocent women who are demonstrating peacefully. It is obvious now that there is nothing that they cannot do, despite all the meetings aimed at tackling the crisis, this recent development has shown that the talks will not help the situation.''

Achi said that the shifting of the AU High Level Panel's final decision on Cote d'Ivoire for another month was not in favour of the country.

``The situation is deteriorating every day. The AU still thinks that they are dealing with human beings, but they will be surprised at the outcome of things. Clearly, the shooting of the six women is not a humane behaviour and it does not deserve a humane treatment,'' he said.

NAN/Margaret