Sub Saharan Africa

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

Country information

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POLITICS

Soon after Bedie took over, the ruling PDCI split. In 1994, the then Prime Minister, Allasane Ouattara, joined the breakaway RDR. Ouattara and the RDR increasingly came to be seen as representatives of the North of the country. Ouattara’s exclusion from running in subsequent elections came to symbolise the increasingly acrimonious and violent social problems of migrant labour, ethnic divisions and citizenship. In December 1999 General Robert Gueï led the country's first ever military coup. A new constitution was approved by referendum in July 2000, but under chaotic and violent conditions. The new constitution is based on a strong Presidential system, as before, with a 225- member unicameral Parliament. In October 2000 opposition leader Laurent Gbagbo won the presidential election, Bedie and Ouattara having been barred from running. The acrimonious debate around nationality and citizenship continued, now added to by debate around the legitimacy of Gbagbo's electoral victory.

On 19 September 2002, an attempted coup took place. It failed, but rebels gained control of the northern half of the country. They expressed dissatisfaction at retirement plans for the army, and expressed grievances over the government's treatment of northerners. A cease-fire was signed in May 2003, followed by a protracted stand off between rebel and loyalist forces. A series of negotiations followed over a period of nearly 5 years, involving, at different points, the mediation efforts of France, Ghana, South Africa and the African Union. An international contact group met monthly to discuss the problem from November 2005 to February 2007. Various formulations of unity governments have been tried, offering ministerial posts to former rebels (now called the New Forces) and political opposition. No progress was made during this time on the key 2 issues the country faces; disarmament of the former rebels and other militia, and the identification of the population and establishment of credible and accepted electoral lists. In April 2004 a UN mission (UNOCI) was established, with the French 'Licorne' force taking the role of rapid deployment support. In November 2004 government forces attempted to attack the New Forces across the cease-fire line. On 6 November government planes bombed French positions, killing 9 French peacekeepers. The French retaliated by destroying the Ivorian airforce. Riots ensued across Abidjan, targeting French nationals and the French army. Around 8,000 French nationals were evacuated or subsequently left.

In March 2007 a new agreement was signed between the President and the leader of the New Forces, Guillaume Soro, under the mediation of Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore (the Ouagadougou Accords), under which Soro became Prime Minister. The formal division between the rebel-held north and the government south ended and the country was officially re-united in April 2007. But significant progress has yet to be made on re-integrating the rebel forces into the army, or on the national identification process, and the Ouagadougou accord has had to be supplemented by a further agreement in November 2007. Elections are scheduled for 29 November 2009.

BBC News Country Profile: Ivory Coast

HUMAN RIGHTS

There are serious human rights problems in Côte d'Ivoire, linked to discrimination against foreigners, brutality by the security forces and armed groups in the context of the breakdown in law and order flowing from the conflict. A large number of people, including immigrant workers and refugees, have been displaced by the fighting.

Several UN reports have found that all sides to the conflict had committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, that reports of mass graves in conflict areas are credible, and that death squads operate in Abidjan. In March 2004 an opposition march ended in widespread violence. In April 2004 the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' report on the events concluded that 'indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians and the committing of massive human rights violations' occurred under the 'direction and responsibility of the highest authorities of the State'.

An Amnesty Law was passed in August 2003, and there are amnesty provisions in the Ouagadougou Accords. Serious human rights abuses and economic crimes do not fall under the scope of the 2003 amnesty. In April 2004, the National Assembly voted in favour of the creation of a National Commission on Human Rights. Since the coup of 1999 there have been very few prosecutions for human rights violations. In January 2006 the United Nations imposed individual travel and asset freeze sanctions on 3 individuals, in part for their role in human rights abuses.

Annual Human Rights Reports