Ivory Coast, March 01: Forces loyal to Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo have opened fire on United Nations experts probing a suspected breach of an international arms embargo.
The experts and an officer from the UN peacekeeping mission had gone to Yamoussoukro airport following reports that three MI-24 attack helicopters from Belarus had been sent to Gbagbo’s forces in breach of a UN embargo decided in 2004, a UN source told AFP.
UN sanctions experts were attacked while they tried to monitor a suspected breach of a 2004 international arms embargo of the country. No injuries have been reported.
However, Belarus has denied any knowledge of the helicopters.
“Belarus has never violated Security Council sanctions and has an efficient system to control weapons exports,” Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh said.
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has demanded an urgent Security Council meeting to discuss the reported breach.
Ivory Coast has been the scene of clashes between supporters of Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, who is internationally recognized as the winner of the country’s presidential election in November 2010.
——–Agencies