Force commanders of three UN missions in West Africa to meet Friday

The force commanders of three United Nations peacekeeping missions in West Africa will meet in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on Friday to talk about sub-regional cross-border security, the UN said today.

The officials heading deployments in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone will discuss disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-fighters in the sub-region, co-operation among the three missions and cross-border operations, according to a statement issued by the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (MINUCI).

A senior UN official, Tuliameni Kalomoh, told the Security Council last month that appreciable progress had been made in strengthening security in the sub-region - a major concern in a post-conflict area with footloose ex-combatants - but warned that much more remains to be done to consolidate the gains achieved so far.