PILOT ID PROGRAM GETS OFF TO A GLACIAL START IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABIDJAN 000523

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC KPKO IV
SUBJECT: PILOT ID PROGRAM GETS OFF TO A GLACIAL START IN
ABIDJAN

REF: A. ABIDJAN 515


B. ABIDJAN 500

C. ABIDJAN 495

Classified By: Poloff Phaedra Gwyn for reasons 1.4 b&d


1. (C) The pilot identification program got off to an
inauspicious start with only one petitioner appearing in the
Port Bouet district of Abidjan on the morning of May 18, the
first day of the program. About thirty Young Patriots showed
up around 9:00, along with sanctioned Young Patriot leader
Eugene Djue. Over one hundred well-armed Ivoirian Armed
Forces (FANCI) and UN soldiers were present but took no
action to disperse the Young Patriots. The Protocol officer
for UN SRSG Pierre Schori told us that ONUCI and the Ministry
of Security had agreed ahead of time that UN peacekeepers
would be present only as observers and FANCI would assure the
security. He also told us that since Young Patriots leader
Charles Ble Goude had announced the previous evening on
television that there would be no Young Patriot activity,
many were surprised by the demonstration.


2. (C) After over two hours of protests by the Young
Patriots (the Patriots yelled at the security forces but did
not engage in violent behavior),the mayor of Port Bouet
asked the Port Bouet Chief of Police to intervene so that the
interviews could get underway. By 11:30, most of the Young
Patriots had been dispersed. On the stage at City Hall, one
sixteen year old girl was interviewed by five judges to
determine if she had indeed been born in Port Bouet and if
she met the requirements of Ivoirian nationality. The
audience consisted of UN observers including Schori, the
mayor of Port Bouet, the Congolese Minister of Foreign
Affairs, journalists, and FANCI and UN soldiers. The judges
asked questions about her origins unrelated to whether or not
she was born in Port Bouet, apparently to see if she were
lying. Her witnesses included an aunt and a sister. After
about ten minutes of interviewing, the judges agreed to issue
her a birth certificate. In all, her case took about twenty
minutes. The judges said they will render the decision
regarding her nationality later. (NOTE: This procedure
differs from what the Minister of Justice announced at his
May 16 press conference, reftel A. According to the
Minister, the judges were to make a decision on nationality
immediately, and, if it was favorable, there would be a
48-hour period in which to protest the decision. END NOTE)


3. (C) COMMENT: If the judges continue to work at this
glacial pace, each tribunal would be able to rule on a mere
168 people in a week. Therefore, unless the government of
Cote d'Ivoire is planning to deploy a massive number of
judges, it would take years to determine the status of Cote
d'Ivoire's 3.5 million undocumented residents. END COMMENT
Hooks