UN lifts 12-year-old arms embargo on Ivory Coast

<p>The United Nations Security Council on Thursday lifted a 12-year-old arms embargo on Ivory Coast and renewed the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in the West African country for a final year. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">U.N. council removes 12-year-old arms embargo on Ivory Coast | Top News | Reuters <a href="https://t.co/8HpGds0oBY">https://t.co/8HpGds0oBY</a> <a href="https://t.co/iQz87jLVUH">pic.twitter.com/iQz87jLVUH</a></p>— Reuters Africa (@ReutersAfrica) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReutersAfrica/status/725760063638540290">April 28, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p>The embargo was imposed in 2004 after the 2002-2003 civil war in that country. </p> <p>The French Ambassador to the UN, Francois Delattre told the Council that Ivory Coast’s example proves that “security endeavours can attain their ends when assisting a country in extracting itself from a crisis”. </p> <p>Two French-drafted resolutions to lift the arms embargo as well as parts of asset freezes and travel bans on six people, were unanimously adopted by the 15-member council.</p> <p>Those affected by the ban include the country’s former president Laurent Gbagbo and his wife, both of whom are standing trial for the post 2010-2011 election violence as well as Charles Ble Goude, the leader of the Young Patriots who is also currently standing trial at the Hague for post-election violence. </p> <p>The Security Council in 2014 eased the arms embargo on Ivory Coast and lifted a ban on the diamond trade in the country. </p> <p>Under the resolution, UN peacekeepers deployed in 2004 will leave the Ivory Coast by the end of April 2017 with a complete closure of the mission expected to happen within two months thereafter. </p> <p>The mission is expected to begin cutting down its numbers by August this year from the current 4,000 to about 2,000.</p> <p>Ivory Coast’s ambassador to the UN, Claude Bouah-Kamon thanked the countries that contributed troops to the mission, which he said was “perfectly successful” in achieving its goals, reported <span class="caps">AFP</span>. </p> <p>He however said his country was mindful of the important task ahead with the planned departure of the UN mission.</p>