afrol News, 25 January - The UN's peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire (ONUCI) has authorised that the Ivorian armed forces may start reconstructing its air force, which was destroyed in an attack by French peacekeepers in the country on 6 November. There currently exists a UN arms embargo against Côte d'Ivoire.

The lifting of the Ivorian air force's ban was announced yesterday by the UN spokesman in Côte d'Ivoire, Hamadou Touré. "In response to a petition by the Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, ONUCI granted its agreement to that the country's Air Force may be restored," Mr Touré said.

There was however no talk of reconstructing a fully operational national air force. "This is a question of repairing the devices and not about rearming them," emphasised the UN spokesman. Rearming the Ivorian air force would constitute a breech of the current arms embargo against the country.

The repair of damaged aircrafts was to be implemented under UN supervision. Two damaged fighter jets, constructed in Russia, were to be the first to be taken to Abidjan for reparations. "The aircrafts cannot carry arms or ammunition and will be kept under UN supervision at the main airport," Mr Touré said.

Two days after the government of President Laurent Gbagbo started his sudden aerial offensive against rebel positions in the north of the country - in breech of an internationally guaranteed ceasefire - peacekeeping troops became victims of the attack. Nine French soldiers and one North American citizen died in one of these bomb attacks, which also targeted the French peacekeepers' military base. 31 were injured.

The French troops on 6 November retaliated this bombing by a surprise attack on the grounded Ivorian air force. In the attack, practically all the aircrafts in Côte d'Ivoire's air force were destroyed, including nine airplanes and 25 combat helicopters. This again was the start of several days of protests and violence against French troops and civilians in the country.

According to data provided by the authorities of Côte d'Ivoire, these confrontations resulted in 64 deads and hundreds of wounded.

The French peacekeeping troops in Côte d'Ivoire had agreed to the UN's authorisation to repair the damaged aircrafts. This was declared in a joint statement issued in Abidjan by the French and UN peacekeeping troops.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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