COTE D'IVOIRE: UN BRIEFS AGAIN ON IDENTIFICATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000874 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC KPKO IV SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: UN BRIEFS AGAIN ON IDENTIFICATION OPERATION REF: ABIDJAN 832 ABIDJAN 00000874 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Poloff Phaedra Gwyn for reasons 1.4 b&d ¶1. (C) Summary: The UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI) reports that in the first two weeks of the current identification operation, there were just over 35,000 applications for registration in one form or another, from the estimated four million undocumented Ivoirians and foreigners born here. The operation reportedly continues to run smoothly in rebel-held areas but very few of the teams are able to function in government-held areas. The UN remains concerned about legal challenges and the low turnout of foreigners. According to press reports, President Gbagbo may challenge the legitimacy of all the certificates of nationality issued so far. Violent clashes between opposition and pro-Gbagbo youth groups have subsided, but one opposition youth group claimed this week to have assembled 17,000 members to provide security for the hearings. ONUCI is estimating that at the current pace, it will take ten months to complete the operation, but even that may be overly optimistic. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On August 2, the head of the Electoral Division of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI) gave the second of his promised weekly briefings for embassies and international organizations on the progress of the mobile courts (audiences foraines -- AF) in registering undocumented Ivoirians and foreigners resident in Cote d,Ivoire (reftel). In the rebel-controlled north, the hearings reportedly are continuing to take place with few problems. Eighteen sites have functioned almost every day since the operation began on July 17 and people have been turning out in large numbers to participate. However, in the government-controlled south no more than seven sites have been able to function in any one day. None have been able to operate in government-controlled areas of the west. ¶3. (U) ONUCI provided the following statistics on applications and decisions during the two weeks from July 17 to July 29. July 17-22: Certificates Of Nationality: Applications: 5354 Granted: 4749 Rejected: 288 Under Review: 317 Birth Certificates For Ivoirians: Applications: 6501 Granted: 5842 Denied: 408 Under Review: 251 Birth Certificates For Foreigners: Applications: 367 Granted: 352 Denied: 15 Under Review: 0 July 24-29: Certificates Of Nationality: Applications: 14689 Granted: 13206 Rejected: 740 Under Review: 743 Birth Certificates for Ivoirians: Applications: 7845 Granted: 7052 Denied: 539 Under Review: 254 Birth Certificates For Foreigners: Applications: 502 Granted: 397 Denied: 34 Under Review: 71 ¶4. (C) ONUCI remains concerned about the looming threat of legal challenges. While the debate has subsided somewhat over whether sixteen of the magistrates were properly appointed, a new debate has emerged over the legitimacy of the certificates of nationality. ONUCI explained that by law, AF's are only authorized to issue birth certificates. Having these teams also issue certificates of nationality is an attempt by the government to expedite the identification process in preparation for elections. An ONUCI official said during the briefing that before issuing a certificate of ABIDJAN 00000874 002.2 OF 002 nationality, the magistrate is supposed to remove his robe to indicate that he is no longer acting as a judge presiding over a hearing but as a government official performing an administrative function. However, the magistrates reportedly have not been making this distinction. ¶5. (U) On August 3, the day after the ONUCI briefing, local newspapers reported that at a Council of Ministers meeting the previous day President Gbagbo questioned the legitimacy of the certificates of nationality issued by AF's and said that the AF's should only be issuing birth certificates. When questioned as to whether he thought the certificates should be invalidated, Gbagbo replied that he would take the issue up with the Prime Minister. ¶6. (C) ONUCI is also concerned by the low turnout of foreigners. Only 869 of the applications for birth certificates in the first two weeks came from foreigners, six percent of the total, even though according to official statistics foreigners make up 26 percent of the Ivoirian population and there are over three million from Burkina Faso alone. ONUCI speculated that foreigners are frightened to come forward because of the recent confrontations between pro-Gbagbo militias and opposition youth groups. (NOTE: This would not explain the dearth of foreigners applying in New Forces-controlled areas.) ¶7. (C) Indeed, despite the agreement between the two groups that was announced last week to stop the violence that disturbed the first week of the AF's, the current calm is very fragile. According to newspaper reports, on July 30 the opposition PDCI (Democratic Party of Cote d,Ivoire) youth group announced that they had assembled 17,000 members to provide security for the AF's around the country. The creator of the brigade, Jean Claude Atse, said that 13,000 of the members have already taken a training course in controlling mob action and the other 4000 will be ready within two weeks. Atse added that the brigade is not armed, nor is it a militia. ¶8. (C) Comment: ONUCI is estimating that at the current pace, it will take ten months to complete the hearings, but even that may be overly optimistic. Many obstacles loom, including the legal challenges and doubts about whether the government has the money to keep paying for the AF's at the end of the initial two-month period. Moreover, even though the street violence has subsided, the Young Patriots and President Gbagbo's Ivoirian Popular Front (FPI) party appear to have largely succeeded in preventing the AF's from functioning in the government-controlled areas. End Comment. Hooks