IVORY COAST: Rebels form new police force to provide security in Ivory Coast's lawless north

The creation of a police force by the rebels that control the northern half of Ivory Coast may be a sign that the political deadlock that divides the world's top cocoa producer is deepening. It was one of the brightest moments for the rebel police force of Ivory Coast. Less than a month after they started patrols of the lawless streets of Bouake (350 kilometres from Abidjan, 250 kilometres from capital Yamoussoukro) the UN-trained police force managed to seize around 850 kilograms of marijuana worth around 200,000 US dollars. The crop was burned around 12 kilometres outside Bouake under the eyes of the ONUCI officers (United Nations Operation in Ivory Coast), who helped train the rebel police force. "So far it has been the FAFN (Armed forces of the New Forces) who together with the police and gendarmes that we could find that tried to deal with the security here, to make the people's lives easier. But in all truth, we have not totally taken over the security of the city yet," said Tuo Fozie, chief of the New Forces Police Force. Security in the North has been a huge concern for the citizens of a region. While the South remains under the security of President Gbagbo's forces, the north is outside Gbagbo's control, and has no laws or official security force to police it. Under an accord signed in Pretoria in April 2005, the UN along with the South African security forces committed to training young representatives of the New Forces to help secure the area. "We are in perfect harmony with the UN, and all the who are here. They (UN) contacted us in the first instance so that we can together train 600 policemen, which was successfully done. They also asked us to form the joint patrols which we have accepted, and this where we are now. This allows us to train our young so that they can operate correctly in the days to come, when we will be in the field," Fozie said. Dressed in blue, and not armed, the newly graduated police officers patrol Bouake and the surrounding area in small groups of 25, accompanied by one of their superiors. Their aim is to present a new face of their organisation. "These are professionals, that were trained. This force will be able to reassure the population more than before, so we are waiting for them to be deployed in all districts, and this would help us a lot," said Edgar Kintonou, a high school teacher from Bouake. Although the newly created police force could mean the division between the country's rebel north and government controlled south is deepening, the move is widely seen as necessary for security reasons. "Before we didn't have any security and we were in a very difficult situation, with no law. But now with the new police and gendarmes, we will have laws, and they will be respected. In truth, I am very happy," said Kaba Mamoudou, a Bouake vendor. The first 533 graduates officially got their diplomas on December 15, at a ceremony attended by Soro Guillaume, the leader of the New Forces. The new police force has its headquarters in Bouake, and when fully deployed at the end of the month will be charged with the security for the entire area held by the New Forces in the north of Ivory Coast. Although the civil war officially ended in Ivory Coast in July 2003, a political deadlock keeps Gbagbo as president until elections planned for later this year.

ITN Source | January 18, 2007

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