Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Côte d’Ivoire

Car thief kills bystander in shootout with UN peacekeepers

    DAKAR

    A thief who was trying to seize a UN vehicle in Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire, shot and killed a bystander during a confrontation with UN peacekeepers, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

    Hamadoun Toure, the official spokesman of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI), said the incident occurred on Friday, just outside the offices of the 6,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in the busy suburb of Zone 4.

    Elaborating on a UN statement issued earlier, Toure told IRIN by telephone that two thieves had stolen 1.4 million CFA francs (US$2,800) in cash from another vehicle nearby. They tried to seize an ONUCI car to make a fast getaway after their own car broke down, but UN guards intervened to stop them, he added.

    One of the two men was arrested and turned over to the Ivorian security forces. The other, although seriously injured, escaped from the scene.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join