UN mission, Annan urge restraint after violent demonstrations in Côte d'Ivoire

Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire have called for calm after violent demonstrations took place yesterday in Bouaké against two UN sites and the city's business district.

Peacekeepers with the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) fired warning shots in the air when they were faced with an increasingly unruly crowd, the mission said in a statement issued in Abidjan. The statement stressed that at no time did UNOCI troops aim at civilians.

The demonstrations had targeted UNOCI's headquarters in Sector East, the UN military observer's office and the business district of Bouaké, which is in the north of Côte d'Ivoire, an area controlled by the rebel Forces Nouvelles group.

Mr. Annan "is concerned at the deteriorating security situation" in the West African country, a statement issued by his spokesman said. "The Secretary-General strongly appeals to all Ivorian parties to desist from any action that could aggravate the situation in the country."

Mr. Annan also urged all sides to commit to the full and unconditional implementation of the peace and reconciliation process, which the Security Council said last month had been marked by a lack of recent progress.

UNOCI said it counted on the support of security forces to ensure the protection of UN personnel and property in Côte d'Ivoire, and reminded them of an earlier Security Council resolution binding them to cooperate fully with the work of UNOCI.