UN stops aid work in I Coast
2004-11-05 10:59
United Nations - The United Nations suspended all humanitarian work in Ivory Coast on Thursday after government jets repeatedly bombed a rebel-held city and military officials promised to crush the insurgents for good.
UN spokesperson Fred Eckhard said the attacks in Bouake were a major violation of a 2003 ceasefire that ended fighting from a nine-month civil war.
About 6 000 UN peacekeepers have been deployed along with 4 000 French troops, jointly patrolling the front lines that divide the nation in two.
The UN Security Council also held an urgent meeting and was expected to urge both sides to avoid a resumption of all-out war.
Civil war resumed
While rebel leaders in Ivory Coast are saying the civil war has resumed, UN officials suggested the aid cuts cannot last long.
"A prolonged suspension of aid programmes would endanger thousands of lives," said Jan Egeland, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross have also stopped work in Bouake, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, has been split into a rebel-controlled north and government-run south since a September 2002 coup attempt launched the country into civil war. The 2003 peace deal was forged under pressure from former colonial ruler France and others.
The United Nations has a special interest in Ivory Coast because Secretary-General Kofi Annan helped broker July talks in which government and rebel leaders agreed to resurrect a transitional government.
Renewed fighting could also threaten stability in the entire region by drawing in idle fighters from Liberia and Sierra Leone, two countries recovering from civil wars of their own.
American deputy UN ambassador Stuart Holliday called the situation "very grave" and said Security Council diplomats would look for ways to stop the flare up in attacks. - AP
- SAPA