UN leaves Ivory Coast after 13 years

After more than 13 years, the UN officially ends its mission in Ivory Coast today as the country is at peace.

It witnessed the country’s second civil war in 2010 and at its height it had more than 12,000 peacekeeping troops, police and UN staff on the ground.

UN peacekeepers arrived in 2004 when the country was already split in two.

Rebel forces controlled the north, the government controlled the south.

A second civil war in 2010 forced more than a million people from their homes and more than 3,000 were killed.

The main achievement is that the country is united.

Aïchatou Mindaoudou is the last Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Ivory Coast. He told me that he is leaving the country in good shape:

“Almost 67,000 ex combatants have been disarmed, demobilised and also reintegrated. For the first time in October 2015 an election has been organised since the crisis and it was organised without any incident.”

Ivory Coast may no longer be at war but some fear the country’s still not ready for the United Nations to leave.

There have been two army mutinies already this year, bringing the entire country to a halt.