Western area remains most precarious

Western Cote d'Ivoire remains the country's most precarious area and numerous humanitarian agencies that have conducted fact-finding and assessment missions since late November, continue to paint a bleak picture of stability in the region. In a press statement on Monday, the Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the western area, which includes the towns of Man, Guiglo, Toulepleu, and Danane, was "highly unstable". OCHA cited reports of partner agencies and NGOs such Solidarities who reported that "around 85,000 people had fled military confrontation, rape, pillaging and summary executions near the western town of Guiglo and Duekoue." Shelter and hygienic conditions, especially in overpopulated villages, also remained of major concern, according to Solidarities. Medecins sans frontieres-Holland reported looting, food shortages and human rights abuses of foreigners. The NGO Merlin, which concluded a mission to Toulepleu over the weekend, characterized Toulepleu a "ghost town" with food and non-food needs. Another inter-agency mission was expected in Abidjan on Tuesday, after a four-days assessment in area of Man. Since late November when two new rebels emerged around Man, the west has been a volatile area, difficult to assess for humanitarian agencies. Most of the fighting since November had taken place along the Liberian border where sources say Liberian mercenaries had been taken part in the fighting alongside the insurgents. In other areas under rebel control, humanitarian agencies however continued to be active. In the central towns of Bouake and Yamoussoukro, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided food aid to vulnerable populations and monitored the food security situation of internally displaced persons and host families. UNICEF, in partnership with WFP and the Ministry of Education, were working on a school-feeding programme in rebel-held areas. Meanwhile, the "Young Patriots" (youth supporters of the government) who have organised several demonstrations in Abidjan, announced on Tuesday that they would hold another demonstration on Wednesday to ask the United States to help solve the Ivorian crisis. Since the Paris Agreement signed last month, the "Young Patriots" have been trying to lobby the United States while denouncing France, Coted'Ivoire's traditional partner. President Laurent Gbagbo was expected to meet on Tuesday with Ivorian political parties and with UN Special Representative in Cote d'Ivoire, Albert Tevoedjre.