Côte d’ Ivoire / Sport for peace programme / UNOCI organizes football matches in Duekoue, Divo and Bangolo
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, May 27, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Operation in Côte d’ Ivoire (UNOCI), on Saturday , 22 May 2010, organized football matches in Bangolo, Duekoue, and Divo, respectively 545, 502 and 189 km from Abidjan, to promote a peaceful electoral environment.
In Duekoue, the head of the UNOCI delegation, Severin Agbonoukon, explained that the tournament was aimed at facilitating the interaction of communities. The Mayor of the town, Victor Tikpao, for his part, called on the population to spread the message of peace in their homes and their communities so that Côte d’Ivoire can overcome the crisis it has been experiencing over the past eight years.
The tournament brought together six competing teams: 4 male and 2 female from Guiglo, Guehieby, Guezon, and Duekoue. A female demonstration match which preceded the final ended in victory for the Espoir A1 team over A2 of Duekoue after penalty shots which brought the score to 5-4. The final itself ended with Duekoue beating Guiglo 2 – nil.
In the regional capital of Sud Bandama, the tournament which took place under the banner “UNOCI and Divo play football for a peaceful electoral environment”, recorded the following results: in the match between female teams, the Defence and Security Forces beat the civil society collective 1- nil, while in the male competition, a team of teachers beat the Defence and Security Forces, 1-nil.
Speaking on behalf of the organizing committee, the commander of the Gendarmerie Company, Captain Basile Danhoe expressed satisfaction with the lively interest generated by the UNOCI initiative which, at this crucial moment in Côte d’Ivoire, had come to sooth the population’s pain.
The Regional Director of Youth, Sport and Urban Hygiene, Athanase Otchoumou, who presided over the event, said that UNOCI had attained its objective of creating a peaceful electoral environment in Divo. “The messages of peace by the various team captains were very edifying regarding the capacity of sport to promote social cohesion, which is necessary for a peaceful electoral environment,” he added.
SOURCE
Mission of UN in Côte d’Ivoire
