The African Union [AU] have lifted sanctions on Ivory Coast ending four months of diplomatic isolation, but fighting between armed groups underscored the challenges facing the new president.
The AU’s move on Thursday follows Alassane Ouattara finally taking over as the new Ivorian president after months of power struggle between him and now deposed president Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to step down after last year’s disputed elections.
Gbagbo was captured last week in a French and UN-backed assault on his forces and is now under house arrest in the country’s north.
Ouattara received almost universal international backing during the standoff and international organisations have shown they are ready to help out.
But he must heal deep divisions, including many within his own camp.
“We recommended that the president-elect (should) pursue building peace in Ivory Coast, reconcile people and make Ivory Coast a country where people are in unity,” Joseph Nsengimana, Rwanda’s AU ambassador and chairman of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, said.
Nsengimana was speaking after the punitive sanctions, imposed to try and force Gbagbo to relinquish power, were lifted at a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The EU has also eased some of its restrictions, paving the way for exports to resume, although shippers say it will take weeks to reach normal volumes.
Against this backdrop of continued uncertainty, the World Health Organisation reported on Thursday an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) in Ivory Coast, with three new cases reported in January and February and accompanied by the onset of paralysis.
The violence prevented health workers from carrying out polio immunisations in late March.
“The overriding priority is to urgently stop the WPV3 outbreak,” WHO said.
The UN