Côte d'Ivoire
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This Peace Brief reviews the factors that continue to divide Ivorian communities and stall the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire and provides reflections of a meeting of Ivorian civil society and religious leaders in Washington, D.C.
Some 100,000 people have fled Cote d’Ivoire and nearly one million are displaced amid post-election violence and fears of an all-out civil war. USIP’s Dorina Bekoe examines what sparked this current crisis and possible ways to address the country’s deep-rooted problems.
This Peace Brief examines the political stalemate in Côte d’Ivoire following the November 28, 2010, presidential election and its implications for the future.
Latest from USIP on Côte d'Ivoire
- March 29, 2012 | Publication
USIP leaders explain the effect that events around the world and here at home will have on the U.S., and the contributions the Institute can and does make during a time of tremendous challenge – and opportunity.
- March 23, 2012 | Publication
With its research, analysis and field work, USIP is on the ground in key African nations working to prevent conflicts from turning deadly and to build local capacity to stop disputes from escalating into violent conflict.
- September 1, 2011 | Publication
The need for collaborative, multilateral action at the United Nations and on global problems is growing, but so are the budgetary pressures on the U.S. government’s foreign affairs spending. That collision of factors provides the context for a scene-setting address at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) by Esther Brimmer, the assistant secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.
- September 1, 2011 | Publication
Read about USIP’s on-the-ground and region-specific work aimed at helping prevent conflict in Africa, the Middle East, South and Northeast Asia.
USIP works with partners to support civil society efforts geared toward preventing electoral violence in Côte d'Ivoire. The Institute worked with civil society organizations as they prepared for the October 2010 presidential elections, including providing support for the training of domestic electoral monitors. USIP continues to track the crisis situation and offer analysis on the political stalemate in Côte d'Ivoire.
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Overview
September 2012
Since the end of the political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire in May 2011, the country has gradually recovered economically. However, the process of political reconciliation between the main actors of the post-election crisis in 2010/2011 remains stalled. So far, the new President Alassane Ouattara has not succeeded in bringing the supporters of former head of state Laurent Gbagbo back into this process. Gbagbo’s former party, the Front populaire ivoirien (FPI), still refuses to recognize Ouattara as head of state and boycotted the parliamentary elections held in December 2011. The FPI mainly criticizes the selective practice of the Ivorian judiciary, which until today has only charged members of the pro-Gbagbo forces for the crimes they committed during the post-election crisis and did not examine atrocities carried out by the forces supporting Ouattara. This happened despite of promises made by Ouattara to prosecute crimes committed by both sides and has led to allegations of a “winner’s justice.”
The stalled political reconciliation process also renders difficult the integration of the remaining pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces into the newly established national security forces, which is an essential condition for a long-term improvement of the security situation in the country. Groups still loyal to Gbagbo are reluctant to join the forces largely dominated by Ouattara supporters. Some of the pro-Gbagbo groups continue to be active in several parts of the country and recently carried out a number of attacks on installations of the Ivorian army as well as an attack on the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) in June 2012. At the same time, parts of the pro-Ouattara forces, especially in the North of the country, still operate outside of the hierarchy structures of the national security forces.
It is thus necessary that President Ouattara makes a credible effort to bring the crimes committed by his own forces to Ivorian courts and to create stronger incentives for both pro-Ouattara and former pro-Gbagbo forces to join the national security forces. Only if this is achieved will it be possible to tackle the numerous issues that were at the roots of the recent crisis (such as the question of ivoirité, questions over land tenure and the problem of high youth unemployment) and lay the foundation for a long-term peace in Côte d’Ivoire.
Read More: USIP tracks the situation in Cote d'Ivoire
Going Forward: USIP Goals Regarding Cote d'Ivoire
USIP partners with the West African Network for Peacebuilding-Côte d'Ivoire (WANEP-CI) in an effort to build the capacity of Ivorian civil society organizations and contribute to the peaceful resolution of the Ivorian crisis. The USIP-sponsored project of WANEP-CI on monitoring political violence in Côte d'Ivoire released its third report in January 2011, focusing on the violent events following the November run-off.
Multimedia
Watch, listen and learn as USIP experts and events address issues regarding Côte d'Ivoire:
- Listen to audio from USIP event "What's next for Côte d'Ivoire?" - April 29, 2011
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