Continuing Aid to West Africa

With United States support, the United Nations Security Council has voted to extend the mandate of the U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire, continuing to work to restore stability to that important region of West Africa.

Under a resolution approved May 13, U.N. supported troops, police and helicopters will continue to operate in Cote d'Ivoire at least through summer. With the country emerging from the post-election crisis that saw more than 2,000 people killed and thousands more forced to flee their homes, officials said the world body would maintain the peacekeeping operations and continue to review the situation there.

With President Alassane Ouattara now sworn into office, fighting has been mostly confined to the western part of the country, especially along the border with Liberia, which itself underwent a transition to democracy in recent years. The Security Council is encouraging its peacekeepers both in Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia to help the governments there to disarm those endangering national reconciliation and the consolidation of peace.

As President Ouattara moves to organize his government and reunite his nation, the U.S. will not lose focus on Liberia either. With that nation entering an electoral season of its own, featuring a referendum in August and presidential election this fall, we support a fully manned and equipped U.N. mission there with the tools on hand to do its job.