Sub Saharan Africa

Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
Last reviewed: 04 June 2009

Country information

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The xenophobia which preceded and accompanied the civil war has strained the country's relations with its neighbours, particularly those sahelian countries to the north, which provide migrant labour for the cocoa farms. Large numbers have returned to their countries of origin during the civil war putting pressure on their home states and resulting in a serious loss of remittance revenues. Trade routes have also been disrupted. President Compaore of neighbouring Burkina Faso, the country of origin of many migrant workers in Cote d’Ivoire, is now the main mediator of the peace process.

France remains the country's main trading partner and principal bilateral aid donor in spite of current difficulties in the relationship. Although the number of expatriate French in Côte d'Ivoire has reduced significantly as a result of the upheavals, there are still several thousand French passport holders in Côte d'Ivoire, many of whom are dual-national Ivorians. The number of other expatriates has similarly declined. The HQ of the African Development Bank was relocated from Abidjan, where it has sat since 1966, to Tunis in February 2003.

The United Nations deployed a peace keeping operation to Cote d’Ivoire in April 2004. Its mandate was renewed in July 2007 and is due to be discussed again at the UN in January 2008. In November 2007 a new Special Representative of the UN Secretary General was named to head the mission - the Korean Choi Young-jin.

Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)
ECOWAS
African Union
UN mission in Cote d’Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire's Relations with the UK

The British Embassy in Abidjan has suspended its operations due to the uncertain security situation. The UK was named member of the International Working Group in October 2006. Baroness Amos, the Leader of the House of Lords, visited Cote d’Ivoire in January 2006 to participate in an IWG meeting. The Princess Royal visited Côte d'Ivoire in 1998. Robin Cook MP, the then Foreign Secretary, visited Abidjan in 1999 on a joint visit with the French Foreign Minister. The Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire held a meeting with Lord Malloch-Brown in London May 2009.