Awwal 10, 1432 / April 14, 2011, SPA -- The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday urged Ivorians not to engage in revenge attacks now that former president Laurent Gbgabo has been arrested and President Alassane Ouattara has full assumed control of the country. The council "urges all Ivorians to abstain from any reprisals, revenge and provocation, to exercise maximum restraint and to work together to promote national reconciliation and restore sustainable peace through dialogue and consultation," the council said in a statement. The 15-nations council said they "welcome President Ouattara's commitment to investigate alleged human right abuses and reaffirm that those responsible for such abuses, regardless of their affiliation, must be held accountable" as well as his call for a truth and reconciliation commission. U.N. aid chief Valerie Amos briefed the council on Tuesday, telling them of food and medical shortages in the commercial capital Abidjan. She also said that fighting over the past five months since disputed presidential elections has caused the closure of schools and 800,000 children have no access to education. Amos said that the $300 million the U.N. has requested to address the humanitarian crisis in the West African country is only 15 percent funded. "We must not let the people of Côte d'Ivoire and the region down," she said. "I hope that member states will redouble their efforts and respond to the needs in Cote d'Ivoire and the region." The U.N. says up to one million people were forced from their as a result of fighting which has claimed at least 1,000 lives.
