Hamidoun Toure UNOCI spokeman on helicopter shooting

The Ivorian conflict is getting more bitter, violent and complex as the days go by. The main city, Abidjan has been reduced to a battle ground and is not safe, while areas in the west have changed hands between the incumbent President Gbagbo’s government forces and New Forces rebels backing his rival, Alassane Ouattara. Amidst the violence, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, while tens of thousands have fled into neighbouring countries.On Monday, a UN peacekeepers’ helicopter was fired at by the rebels backing Ouattara, as calls mount for the 10-thousand strong UNOCI force to urgently protect thousands of civilians in the country. Is UNOCI in a state of denial that Ivory Coast has now slipped back into civil war? Has the UN lost control of the situation? WADR’s Frank Sainworla put these questions to the Spokesman for the UN Mission in the Ivory Coast, Mr. Hamadoun Toure.