UNITED NATIONS - About $300 million is urgently needed to meet humanitarian needs in Ivory Coast, which is in the throes of a crisis after months of civil war, the UN humanitarian chief said on Wednesday. Valerie Amos, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council the situation in Ivory Coast remains troubling despite the arrest on Monday of former president Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to admit defeat to his rival Alassane Ouattara in a Nov. 28 election. "The crisis that followed elections last November and the escalation we have seen in the last few weeks has had far-reaching humanitarian consequences for ordinary people throughout Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and its neighboring countries," she said.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)