The Risk Professional: UN warns of Ivory Coast arms embargo breaches

Gbagbo still holds onto power following an election last year which he lost but refuses to accept. The situation in Ivory Coast has slipped from the headlines as the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa have grabbed attention.

But it remains not only unresolved but increasingly dangerous.

The UN Secretary-General BAN Ki Moon “demands full compliance with the arms embargo and warns both the supplier of this military equipment and Mr. Gbagbo that appropriate action will be taken in response to the breach.”

Speaking to the press today, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson stated that the UN peacekeeping mission in the West African country – the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) – reported that a flight carrying some of the helicopter parts landed at the capital, Yamoussoukro. A team made up of members of the group of experts and an UNOCI officer travelled to the city’s airport but was unable to verify the information and was forced to withdraw when they were fired upon by armed elements.

On Monday, some media reports identified Belarus as the source of the helicopters and equipment. In a statement posted on the website of the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in New York, the spokesperson from Belarus’ foreign ministry denied the reports, noting that “the Republic of Belarus has always regarded UN Security Council’s decisions very responsibly.”

The West African country has been caught in a political deadlock with growing reports of tension and violence – between rival groups as well as on UN peacekeepers – since Mr. Gbagbo refused to leave office after he was defeated by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara in a presidential election held last November.

In the latest reports of violence, three peacekeepers serving with the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) were wounded in an ambush in a suburb of the country's commercial capital, Abidjan, on Sunday.

In the statement, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said the violation of the arms embargo has been brought to the attention of the Security Council's Committee charged with the responsibility for sanctions against Côte d'Ivoire – and that the Secretary-General hopes that the Security Council will consider convening urgently a meeting to discuss this issue.

The spokesperson added that the Secretary-General has asked UNOCI to monitor the situation closely and to take all necessary action, within its mandate, to ensure that the delivered equipment is not prepared for use.