On Thursday, October 29, Côte d’Ivoire launched the twelfth edition of Operation Sparrowhawk in Bouaké, deployed simultaneously across the twelve police prefectures to strengthen patrols and combat crime ahead of the year-end holidays.
The Minister of the Interior and Security, Vagondo Diomandé, officially launched the national event on Boulevard du Carnaval, in the presence of the Director General of the National Police, Youssouf Kouyaté, and representatives of other defense and security forces.
The system targets organized crime, drug trafficking, drug dens, juvenile delinquency, and traffic offenses. In Abengourou, local authorities also announced day and night patrols, as well as actions against human trafficking and the illegal export of agricultural products.
This new operation builds on the results of Épervier Spécial, launched in September in Bouaké, Korhogo, and Daloa. Between September 7 and 16, 56 smoking facilities were destroyed, nearly 183 tons of substandard, counterfeit, or diverted medicines were seized, and more than 3,500 devices were immobilized, according to the National Security Council.
The same report states that 196 individuals were brought before the courts for incitement to violence or trafficking of medicines and narcotics. One hundred eighty children in conflict with the law were entrusted to the unit responsible for their monitoring and reintegration.
In Abengourou, operations conducted from July 16 to October 28 led to the arrest of 1,233 individuals, of whom 125 were brought before judicial authorities, according to the police prefect. The forces also seized approximately 265 tons of agricultural products, 75.92 kilograms of cannabis, and 8.387 tons of counterfeit or substandard medicines.
The authorities present Épervier 12 as an operation of visible presence and prevention as much as repression. They have asked residents, transporters, merchants, and neighborhood leaders to report suspicious activities, without equating an arrest with a conviction.
The launch in Bouaké concluded with the presentation of seized prohibited products and a parade of the units deployed in several neighborhoods of the city.
