S/PV.7292 Security Council

I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/729, which contains a letter dated 10 October 2014 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004) concerning Côte d’Ivoire addressed to the President of the Security Council. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by His Excellency Mr. Cristián Barros Melet, Permanent Representative of Chile, in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004) concerning Côte d’Ivoire. I now give the floor to Ambassador Barros Melet.

I am pleased to address the members of the Council in my capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004), concerning Côte d’Ivoire. At the outset, I have the honour to summarize the main findings contained in the midterm report of the Group of Experts (S/2014/729), submitted pursuant to resolution 2153 (2014), and the discussion of the Group’s findings during the Committee’s informal consultations of 10 October. The Group of Experts made an effort to improve cooperation with the Ivorian authorities, both through the Permanent Mission in New York and in Abidjan, and it noted that communication with the Ivorian authorities had improved, although, in their view, there is still room for improvement. The Group identified the elections of fall 2015 as a decisive moment for both Côte d’Ivoire and the international community to assess the actual progress made in the security situation. In that context, the Coordinator noted that the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process had so far excluded a considerable number of combatants, and that security- sector reform continued to be affected by internal divisions between ex-Forces nouvelles elements and the regular army, which fought in the post-electoral crisis of 2011. The Group expressed concern at the potentially destabilizing role that some former zone commanders continue to play or could play in Côte d’Ivoire. In particular, the Group mentioned Mr. Martin Kouakou Fofié, in connection with his control over heavy artillery that had entered the country in violation of the sanctions regime; and Mr. Issiaka Ouattara, aka Wattao, concerning his ongoing criminal activities, which are also related to natural resources. Concerning natural resources, specifically diamonds, the Group noted that progress had been made by the Ivorian authorities, although the majority of the rules and regulations on the chain of custody of diamonds remained to be implemented. Illegal gold and diamond mining, as well as cacao smuggling, continued throughout the country and also involved foreign artisanal miners from Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Togo. The Group also warned that the large presence of foreign communities in Côte d’Ivoire, including, for instance, the occupation of the Mt. Peko national park by 24,000 Burkinabe nationals, could result in swiftly escalating social unrest. The Coordinator concluded by informing the Committee that the Group would continue to focus on investigations related to elements of the pro-Gbagbo radical wing operating from Ghana; on links between the exploitation of natural resources and violations of the sanctions regime; on the use of revenues from illegal and parallel taxation systems; on border-control capacities; and on the presence of large quantities of weapons and ammunition still unaccounted for in Côte d’Ivoire. During the Committee’s informal consultations held on 10 October, delegations commended the Group for its continuing efforts to monitor and report on the sanctions regime, and stressed the importance of the presidential elections of October 2015 as a key point to determine the actual progress made by Côte d’Ivoire. Several members of the Committee, while acknowledging the progress made regarding the security situation and the growth of the economy, shared the view that there was still cause for concern, including with respect to the delay in the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes; impunity; armed attacks by unidentified combatants; activities related to the exploitation of natural resources, which fuel instability in the country; and the lack of capacity-building initiatives. Delegations also invited the Group of Experts to continue to monitor the developments in the security situation in Côte d’Ivoire and report accordingly to the Committee. The Committee agreed to assess the Group’s recommendations and decide upon possible actions to be taken. As the Committee is aware, I intend to visit Côte d’Ivoire from 2 to 7 November. The purpose of that visit, organized in close cooperation with the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire, is to highlight the importance of fully implementing the provisions of the relevant Security Council resolutions, to collect firsthand information about the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, and to establish an ongoing dialogue between the Ivorian authorities and the Committee. Furthermore, the visit will serve to assess the challenges that Côte d’Ivoire faces in implementing the measures imposed by the Council, which could inform the Security Council in its future determination of the sanctions regime. It is my intention to brief both the sanctions Committee and the Security Council upon my return from Abidjan.

I thank Mr. Barros Melet for his briefing. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.