I.Coast 'reconciliation' efforts extended

Abidjan (AFP) - The president of Ivory Coast has extended the mandate of a national "reconciliation commission", set up to heal the wounds of a conflict after contested elections that claimed 3,000 lives.

Alassane Ouattara has signed a presidential decree, obtained by AFP on Tuesday, handing a new 12-month mandate to the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CDVR) to "complete its work."

The group was set up in 2011 under former prime minister Charles Konan Banny, with a two-year mandate that expired in September 2013.

Ivory Coast descended into chaos after former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede a 2010 election to Ouattara, sparking five months of deadly running battles.

Gbagbo is awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

Human rights groups and non-governmental organisations have attacked the commission for a lack of concrete results.

In response, some members of the panel have complained of a lack of sufficient financial resources and argue their task is being complicated by political and legal interference.

A poll in December 2013 carried out by the CDVR showed that 83 percent of Ivorians believed reconciliation was "possible".

Three-quarters of people surveyed believed the justice system and the army are "corrupt" and called for deep reform.