A student union with the acronym CERAC, particularly what the acronym stands for, the union's activities, its relationship with the Fédération estudiantine et scolaire de Côte d'Ivoire (FESCI), its ties to the Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI), and the treatment of its members by the current government authorities; availability of state protection for union members (2001 - June 2006) [CIV101456.FE]

According to an article published in the 7-13 August 2005 issue of Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent, CERAC stands for "Cellule de réflexion et d'action concrete," which means "concrete action and think tank" (37). The same article indicated that the student union is close to the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (Parti démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire, PDCI) (Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent 7-13 Aug. 2005, 37). This information could not be corroborated by other sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

No information on the treatment of CERAC members by the current Ivorian government authorities or on their relationship with members of the Côte d'Ivoire Student and Academic Federation (Fédération estudiantine et scolaire de Côte d'Ivoire, FESCI) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in a statement published on 4 July 2004 in the Ivorian newspaper Notre Voie in response to accusations that the organization was involved in the death of a student, FESCI stated that [translation] "in the [Ivorian] university community, FESCI co-exists quite amicably with CERAC, UNESCI, UMESCI and SYNES. In fact, those associations sit on commissions that award scholarships and housing along with the FESCI."

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References


Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent [Paris]. 7-13 August 2005. No. 2326. Pascal Airault. "À l'école syndicale."

Notre Voie [Abidjan]. 4 July 2004. "Mort de l'étudiant Dodo Habib - La FESCI : c'est la guerre entre pro-IB et pro-Soro." (Factiva/AllAfrica).

Additional Sources Consulted


Publications: Africa Confidential, Africa Research Bulletin, Jeune Afrique, Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent, Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: African Student Union, Afrik, Afrol, Amnesty International, BBC Africa, European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Factiva, Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH), Fraternité matin, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Ivoire Soir, Le Jour, Notre Voie, La Nouvelle république, ReliefWeb, United States Department of State.

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