Security Council

6953^rd Meeting (AM)

Concerned by ‘Significant’ Risks to Côte d’Ivoire’s Stability, Security Council

Adopts Resolution 2101, Extending Arms Embargo, Financial, Travel Measures

Concerned that the circulation of weapons continued to pose “significant” risks to the stability of Côte d’Ivoire, the Security Council today extended its arms embargo, as well as financial and travel measures, against the West African nation, until 30 April 2014.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2101 (2013) — which further refined the sanctions regime first put in place in 2004 — the Council called on all States to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Côte d’Ivoire, from their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and any related materiel.

Those measures carried exemptions, including for supplies intended solely for the support of or use by the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) and French forces that supported them.  The exemptions also included supplies of non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, and arms and other related lethal equipment to the Ivoirian security forces, intended solely for the support of or use in security sector reform.

In addition, the Council decided to extend — until the same date — the mandate of the Group of Experts charged with monitoring those sanctions, as well as measures preventing States from importing rough diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire, with a readiness to review those measures in light of progress made towards Kimberley Process implementation.  The Group of Experts was requested it submit a midterm report to the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1572 (2004) by 15 October 2013, with a final report and recommendations to be submitted to the Council 30 days before the end of its mandated period.

By other terms, the Council outlined that it would review those measures should progress be achieved in stabilizing the country, with a view to further modifying or lifting all or part of the remaining measures, in light of any progress achieved in relation to demobilization and disarmament of ex-combatants, security sector reform, national reconciliation and the fight against impunity.

After the vote, Youssoufou Bamba ( Côte d’Ivoire) said the resolution had been adopted at a time when his Government was making progress at all levels, including stability, security situation, political reconciliation and economic revival.  That “happy” situation was undeniable and had been confirmedby the recent visit of the technical mission.

As the resolution underscored, major challenges remained, he said, which required continued efforts.  His Government was ready to cooperate fully with the United Nations, including the Expert Group, on the implementation of matters contained in the resolution and in previous ones.  He hoped those measures would help strengthen stability in Côte d’Ivoire, making it possible in the near future to see conditions conducive for the full lifting of sanctions.

The meeting started at 10:34 a.m. and adjourned at 10:39 a.m.

Resolution

The full text of resolution 2101 (2013) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its previous resolutions and the statements of its President relating to the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, in particular resolutions 1880 (2009), 1893 (2009), 1911 (2010), 1933 (2010), 1946 (2010), 1962 (2010), 1975 (2011), 1980 (2011), 2000 (2011), 2045 (2012), 2062 (2012),

“Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Côte d’Ivoire, and recalling the importance of the principles of good-neighbourliness, non-interference and regional cooperation,

“Welcoming the special report of the Secretary-General dated 29 March 2012 (S/2012/186), of the 2012 midterm report (S/2012/766), and the Final 2013 report (S/2013/228), of the United Nations Group of Experts,

“Recognizing the continued contribution to the stability in Côte d’Ivoire of the measures imposed by resolutions 1572 (2004), 1643 (2005), 1975 (2011) and 1980 (2011), and stressing that these measures aim at supporting the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire with a view to possibly further modifying or lifting all or part of the remaining measures, in accordance with progress achieved in relation to DDR and SSR, national reconciliation and the fight against impunity,

“Welcoming the steady progress and achievements Côte d’Ivoire has made in the past months in returning to stabilization, addressing immediate security challenges, advancing economic recovery and strengthening international and regional cooperation, notably enhanced cooperation with the governments of Ghana and Liberia,

“Welcoming the completion of the electoral cycle that originated in the Ouagadougou Accords, including the recent legislative elections in six districts and nation-wide municipal elections, and encouraging the government and the opposition to move positively and collaboratively towards political reconciliation and electoral reform to ensure that the political space remains open and transparent,

“Expressing concern at the slow progress in the reconciliation process, while acknowledging the efforts by all the Ivorians to promote national reconciliation and to consolidate peace through dialogue and consultation, encouraging the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission to complete its work and produce concrete results by 30 September 2013 when its mandate expires,

“Remaining concerned about the unresolved challenge of security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), as well as the circulation of weapons, which continue to be significant risks to the stability of the country, and welcoming positive steps in this direction, notably the endorsement of the national security sector reform strategy by the National Security Council and the establishment of a single authority for DDR,

“Reiterating the urgent need for the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to train and equip its security forces, especially the police and gendarmerie with standard policing weapons and ammunition,

“Re-emphasizing the importance of the Ivorian Government to be able to respond proportionately to threats to the security of all citizens in Côte d’Ivoire and calling on the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to ensure that its security forces remain committed to upholding human rights and applicable international law,

“Welcoming the continued cooperation of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire with the Group of Experts, originally established pursuant to paragraph 7 of resolution 1584 (2004), during the course of its last mandate renewed by resolution 2045 (2012) and encouraging closer cooperation,

“Welcoming the efforts made by the Secretariat to expand and improve the roster of experts for the Security Council Subsidiary Organs Branch, bearing in mind the guidance provided by the Note of the President S/2006/997,

“Expressing concern at the findings of the Group of Experts on the extension of an illegal taxation system, the increase in the number of checkpoints and incidents of racketeering and the lack of capacity and resources available for the control of borders,

“Further expressing concern at the large-scale contraband of natural resources, in particular cocoa, cashew nuts, cotton, timber, gold and diamonds which are illegally exported from or imported into Côte d’Ivoire,

“Recalling its resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) and 1960 (2010) on women, peace and security, its resolutions 1612 (2005), 1882 (2009), 1998 (2011) and 2068 (2012) on children and armed conflict and its resolutions 1674 (2006), 1894 (2009) on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts,

“Reiterating its firm condemnation of all violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Côte d’Ivoire, condemning all violence committed against civilians, including women, children, internally displaced persons and foreign nationals, and other violations and abuses of human rights, and stressing that the perpetrators must be brought to justice, whether in domestic or international courts, and encouraging the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to continue its close cooperation with the International Criminal Court,

“Stressing the importance for the Group of Experts to be provided with the sufficient resources for the implementation of its mandate,

“Determining that the situation in Côte d’Ivoire continues to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1.   Decides, for a period ending on 30 April 2014, that all States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Côte d’Ivoire, from their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and any related materiel, whether or not originating in their territories;

“2.   Recalls that the measures on arms and related materiel, previously imposed by paragraph 7 and 8 of resolution 1572 (2004), have been replaced by paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of resolution 2045 (2012) and no longer apply to the provision of training, advice and expertise related to security and military activities, as well as to the supplies of civilian vehicles to the Ivorian security forces;

“3.   Decides that the measures imposed by paragraph 1 above shall not
apply to:

(a)   supplies intended solely for the support of or use by the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) and the French forces who support them;

(b)   supplies of non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, as notified in advance to the Committee established by paragraph 14 of resolution 1572 (2004);

(c)   supplies of protective clothing, including flak jackets and military helmets, temporarily exported to Côte d’Ivoire by United Nations personnel, representatives of the media and humanitarian and development workers and associated personnel, for their personal use only;

(d)   supplies temporarily exported to Côte d’Ivoire to the forces of a State which is taking action, in accordance with international law, solely and directly to facilitate the evacuation of its nationals and those for whom it has consular responsibility in Côte d’Ivoire, as notified in advance to the Committee established by paragraph 14 of resolution 1572 (2004);

(e)   supplies of non-lethal law enforcement equipment intended to enable the Ivorian security forces to use only appropriate and proportionate force while maintaining public order, as notified in advance to the Committee established by paragraph 14 of resolution 1572 (2004);

(f)   supplies of arms and other related lethal equipment to the Ivorian security forces, intended solely for support of or use in the Ivorian process of SSR, as approved in advance by the Committee established by paragraph 14 of resolution 1572 (2004);

“4.   Decides, for the period referred to in paragraph 1 above, that the Ivorian authorities shall notify to the Committee any shipment of items referred to in paragraph 3 (e) or shall request an approval in advance to the Committee for any shipments of items referred to in paragraph 3 (f) above, further decides that the Member State delivering assistance may, in the alternative, make this notification pursuant to paragraph 3(e) after informing the Government of Côte d’Ivoire that it intends to do so, and stresses the importance that such notifications and authorisation requests contain all relevant information, including the purpose of the use and end user, the technical specifications and quantity of the equipment to be shipped and, when applicable, the supplier, the proposed date of delivery, mode of transportation and itinerary of shipments;

“5.   Urges the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to allow the Group of Experts and UNOCI access to the exempted materiel at the time of import and before the transfer to the end user takes place, stresses that the Government of Côte d’Ivoire shall mark the arms and related materiel when received in the territory of Côte d’Ivoire and maintain a registry of them and expresses its willingness to consider an extension of the notification procedure to all embargo exemptions in accordance with progress achieved in relation to DDR and SSR;

“6.   Decides to renew until 30 April 2014 the financial and travel measures imposed by paragraphs 9 to 12 of resolution 1572 (2004) and paragraph 12 of resolution 1975 (2011) and further decides to renew until 30 April 2014 the measures preventing the importation by any State of all rough diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire imposed by paragraph 6 of resolution 1643 (2005), with a readiness to review measures in light of progress made towards Kimberley Process implementation;

“7.   Decides to further review the measures decided in paragraph 1, 3, 4, above in light of the progress achieved in the stabilization throughout the country, by the end of the period mentioned in paragraph 1, with a view to possibly further modifying or lifting all or part of the remaining measures, in accordance with progress achieved in relation to DDR and SSR, national reconciliation and the fight against impunity;

“8.   Calls upon the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to take the necessary steps to enforce the measures imposed by paragraphs 1 above, including by incorporating relevant provisions in its national legal framework;

“9.   Calls upon all Member States, in particular those in the subregion, to fully implement the measures mentioned in paragraph 1 and 6 above;

“10.  Expresses its deep concern about the instability in western Côte d’Ivoire, welcomes and further encourages the coordinated action by authorities from neighbouring countries to address this issue, particularly with respect to the border area, including through increasing monitoring, information sharing and conducting coordinated actions, and in developing and implementing a shared border strategy to inter al support the disarmament and repatriation of foreign armed elements on both sides of the border and the repatriation of refugees;

“11.  Encourages UNOCI and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), within their respective mandates, capabilities and areas of deployment, to continue to coordinate closely in assisting respectively the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia in monitoring their border, and welcomes further cooperation between the Group of Experts and the Panel of Experts on Liberia appointed pursuant to paragraph 4 of resolution 1854 (2008);

“12.  Urges all illegal Ivorian armed combatants, including in neighbouring countries, to lay down their arms immediately, encourages UNOCI, within its mandate and limits of capabilities and areas of deployment, to continue to assist the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in collecting and storing the arms and registering all relevant information related to those arms and further calls upon the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, including the National Commission to fight against the Proliferation and Illicit Traffic of Small Arms and Light Weapons, to ensure that those arms are neutralized or not illegally disseminated, in accordance with the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and Other Associated Materials;

“13.  Welcomes the decision by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to ratify the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and Other Associated Materials and encourages relevant actors to provide technical assistance to the Government of Côte d’Ivoire towards its implementation;

“14.  Recalls that UNOCI, within the monitoring of the arms embargo, is mandated to collect, as appropriate, arms and any related materiel brought into Côte d’Ivoire in violation of the measures imposed by paragraph 7 of resolution 1572 (2004) as amended by paragraph 1, 2 of resolution 2045 (2012), and to dispose of such arms and related materiel as appropriate;

“15.  Reiterates the necessity for the Ivorian authorities to provide unhindered access to the Group of Experts, as well as UNOCI and the French forces which support it, to equipment, sites and installations referred to in paragraph 2 (a) of resolution 1584 (2005), and to all weapons, ammunition and related materiel of all armed security forces, regardless of location, including the arms issued from the collection referred to in paragraph 11 or 12 above, when appropriate without notice, as set out in its resolutions 1739 (2007), 1880 (2009), 1933 (2010), 1962 (2010),1980 (2011) and 2062 (2012);

“16.  Reiterating its commitment to impose targeted measures as expressed in paragraph 10 of resolution 1980 (2011);

“17.  Requests all States concerned, in particular those in the subregion, to cooperate fully with the Committee, and authorizes the Committee to request whatever further information it may consider necessary;

“18.  Decides to extend the mandate of the Group of Experts as set out in paragraph 7 of resolution 1727 (2006) until 30 April 2014 and requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to support its action;

“19.  Requests the Group of Experts to submit a midterm report to the Committee by 15 October 2013 and to submit a final report as well as recommendations to the Security Council through the Committee 30 days before the end of its mandated period, on the implementation of the measures imposed by paragraphs 1 above, 9 and 11 of resolution 1572 (2004), paragraph 6 of resolution 1643 (2005), paragraph 12 of resolution 1975 (2011) and paragraph 10 of resolution 1980 (2011);

“20.  Decides that the report of the Group of Experts, as referred to in paragraph 7 (e) of resolution 1727 (2006) may include, as appropriate, any information and recommendations relevant to the Committee’s possible additional designation of the individuals and entities described in paragraphs 9 and 11 of resolution 1572 (2004) and paragraph 10 of resolution 1980 (2011) and further recalls the Informal Working Group on General Issues of Sanctions report (S/2006/997) on best practices and methods, including paragraphs 21, 22 and 23 that discuss possible steps for clarifying methodological standards for monitoring mechanisms;

“21.  Requests the Secretary-General to communicate as appropriate to the Security Council, through the Committee, information gathered by UNOCI and, where possible, reviewed by the Group of Experts, concerning the supply of arms and related materiel to Côte d’Ivoire;

“22.  Requests also the French Government to communicate as appropriate to the Security Council, through the Committee, information gathered by the French forces and, where possible, reviewed by the Group of Experts, concerning the supply of arms and related materiel to Côte d’Ivoire;

“23.  Requests also the Kimberley Process and other appropriate national and international agencies to work in close cooperation with the Group of Experts and its enquiries concerning the individuals and networks involved in the production, trading and illicit export of diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire, to exchange information on a regular basis, and to communicate as appropriate to the Security Council, through the Committee, on such matters, and further decides to renew the exemptions set out by paragraph 16 and 17 of resolution 1893 (2009) with regard to the securing of samples of rough diamonds for scientific research purposes coordinated by the Kimberley Process;

“24.  Urges the Ivorian authorities to implement its action plan to enforce the Kimberley Process minimum requirements in Côte d’Ivoire and further encourages them to continue to work closely with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to conduct a review and assessment of Côte d’Ivoire’s internal controls system for trade in rough diamonds and a comprehensive geologic study of Côte d’Ivoire’s potential diamond resources and production capacity, with a view to possibly modifying or lifting, as appropriate, the measures imposed by paragraph 6 of resolution 1643 (2005) in accordance with paragraph 6 above;

“25.  Encourages the Ivorian authorities to participate in the OECD-hosted implementation programme with regard to the due diligence guidelines for responsible supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas and to reach out to international organizations with a view to taking advantage of lessons learned from other initiatives and countries that have and are confronting similar issues on artisanal mining;

“26.  Calls upon the Ivorian authorities to take the necessary measures to dismantle the illegal taxation networks, including by undertaking relevant and thorough investigations, reduce the number of checkpoints and prevent incidents of racketeering throughout the country and further calls upon the authorities to take the necessary steps to continue to re-establish and reinforce relevant institutions and to accelerate the deployment of customs and border control officials in the North, West and East of the country;

“27.  Asks the Group of Experts to assess the effectiveness of these border measures and control in the region, encourages all neighbouring States to be aware of Ivorian efforts in that regard and encourages UNOCI, within its mandate, to continue its assistance to Ivorian authorities in the re-establishment of normal customs and border control operation;

“28.  Urges all States, relevant United Nations bodies and other organizations and interested parties, to cooperate fully with the Committee, the Group of Experts, UNOCI and the French forces, in particular by supplying any information at their disposal on possible violations of the measures imposed by paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above, paragraphs 9 and 11 of resolution 1572 (2004), paragraph 6 of resolution 1643 (2005) and paragraph 12 of resolution 1975 (2011), and further requests the Group of Experts to coordinate its activities as appropriate with all political actors;

“29.  Requests the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict to continue sharing relevant information with the Committee in accordance with paragraph 7 of resolution 1960 (2010) and paragraph 9 of resolution 1998 (2011);

“30.  Urges further in this context that all Ivorian parties and all States, particularly those in the region, ensure:

–        the safety of the members of the Group of Experts;

–        unhindered access by the Group of Experts, in particular to persons, documents and sites in order for the Group of Experts to execute its mandate;

“31.  Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

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For information media • not an official record