Five UN peace missions in West Africa to meet in Senegal on Friday

The heads of the five United Nations missions in West Africa will meet Friday in Senegal's capital to continue coordinating their policies and operations and to the discuss specific cross-border issues, the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) said today.

The fifth meeting of Special Representatives of the Secretary-General (SRSGs) will be chaired by UNOWA head Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.

Expected to attend are Albert Tévoédjré of the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), Jacques Paul Klein of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and Mariama Gamatié-Bayard of the UN Peace-building Support Office in Guinea Bissau (UNOGBIS).

Included in their discussions will be the regional dimensions of the simmering conflict in northern Côte d'Ivoire and in the Guinean province of Guinea-Forestière.

Mr. Ould-Abdallah's deputy, Ahmed Rhazaoui, will chair a parallel meeting of experts and representatives of national disarmament commissions, the humanitarian community and civil society, which will hold in-depth discussions of regional Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes and policies.