UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy said here Friday that recent developments in Cote d'Ivoire are troubling.
The situation in the strife-torn West African nation are "very worrying," Le Roy said after he briefed the UN Security Council on Cote d'Ivoire.
According to Le Roy there is still a stalemate as fightings are still going on in the West African country.
Forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Ghagbo, including three of his generals and his Minister of Foreign Affairs Alcide Djedje told the UN Mission in Ivory Coast (UNOCI) on Tuesday that they wanted to negotiate a peaceful solution, but Ghagbo rejected this.
On Wednesday shelling against UNOCI's headquarters in Cote d' Ivoire and it's civilian population restarted. Tuesday's developments were used as an excuse for Ghagbo's forces to reinforce their position, Le Roy said.
The peacekeeping chief noted that a commission of inquiry to investigate the human rights violations of the over 100 bodies that have been found in the past 24 hours in three different towns in Cote d'Ivoire, in addition to the
244 dead bodies found in the Western town Duekoue, will be appointed "soon."
On Thursday, president-elect Alassane Ouattara issued a statement saying that he welcomed international investigations and urged all who have committed crimes and war crimes should be punished.
Council members "coincide and continue to favor the possibilities of a political dialogue and a political outcome," current president of the
Security Council, Colombian UN Ambassador Nestor Osorio told the press, and noted that "great difficulty remains as well as absolute reluctance of Gbagbo to recognize the legitimacy of Ouattara."
Colombia holds the rotating Council presidency for April.
The current crisis in Cote d'Ivoire began when Gbagbo refused to step down as president after a November 2010 run-off presidential election in the West African country. Ouattara was the UN-certified winner of the elections, but Gbagbo's forces have prevented his government from taking over, leading to violent clashes.