UCDP

Government of Ivory Coast - Civilians

General information

Part of Conflict: n/a

First Battle Related Death: 1990-04-06

Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 2000-10-26
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: The Government of Ivory Coast first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2000, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached on 26 October that year, when over 50 people were killed in a massacre in Yopougon, outside Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Conflict issues

Annual information

This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.

1990

Estimated Fatalities
High	1
Best	1
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

1991

Estimated Fatalities
High	3
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

1992

Estimated Fatalities
High	0
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

1995

Estimated Fatalities
High	0
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

1997

Estimated Fatalities
High	0
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

1998

Estimated Fatalities
High	1
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

1999

Estimated Fatalities
High	2
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2000

Estimated Fatalities
High	121
Best	101
Low	101

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2002

Estimated Fatalities
High	278
Best	227
Low	227

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2003

Estimated Fatalities
High	73
Best	73
Low	73

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2004

Estimated Fatalities
High	114
Best	59
Low	56

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2005

Estimated Fatalities
High	21
Best	9
Low	9

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2006

Estimated Fatalities
High	8
Best	8
Low	8

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2007

Estimated Fatalities
High	3
Best	3
Low	3

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2008

Estimated Fatalities
High	3
Best	3
Low	3

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2009

Estimated Fatalities
High	1
Best	1
Low	1

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2010

Estimated Fatalities
High	143
Best	44
Low	40

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2011

Estimated Fatalities
High	522
Best	373
Low	339

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2012

Estimated Fatalities
High	19
Best	19
Low	19

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2013

Estimated Fatalities
High	2
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2020

Estimated Fatalities
High	3
Best	3
Low	3

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

2025

Estimated Fatalities
High	0
Best	0
Low	0

Secondary Warring Support:

Side A (Government of Ivory Coast): n/a

Side B (Civilians): n/a

Dyad Archive

This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.

1990 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

1991 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

1992 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

1995 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

1997 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

1998 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

1999 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2000 Dyad Archive

Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: It is likely that many more killed in one-sided violence than what is reported here. However, due to the chaotic circumstances it is still impossible to know in what manner people died, as the election period saw a mix of fighting between supporters of the different parties on the one hand and one-sided violence on the other.
Comment on Active: In 2000, violence took place in the context of the fraudulent presidential and parliamentary elections, held in October and December respectively. During the run-up to the polls, ethnic loyalties were exploited, fear and hatred were incited and the state apparatus was used to oppress political opponents. This process culminated in two waves of violence between supporters of the political parties. It was against this backdrop that Ivorian gendarmes arrested young men who were suspected of being supporters of the opposition party RDR, mainly on the grounds that they were from the Dioula ethnic group. While in detention they were tortured and subsequently transported to a forest clearing on the outskirts of Yopougon, where they were shot to death.

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2002 Dyad Archive

Comment on Active: In 2002 the bulk of the one-sided violence took place in the context of the fighting in the western part of the country. So-called ‘cleansing operations’ were common, in which government forces or government-controlled militias executed suspected rebel sympathisers after a village had been retaken from a rebel group. Gruesome examples are the massacres in Monoko-Zohi, Daloa and Man.

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2003 Dyad Archive

Comment on Active: One big massacre accounts for the bulk of the one-sided violence in Ivory Coast in 2003. In early March LIMA, a government-controlled militia consisting of Liberians, managed to gain entrance to a town located in western Ivory Coast called Bangolo, by pretending to be Dioulas who wanted a meeting. Once inside the village, the militia started to systematically kill civilians and loot their homes. The Dioula quarters were specifically targeted and many of the victims suffered mutilations and had their throats slit.

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2004 Dyad Archive

Comment on Active: The majority of one-sided violence was carried out in Abidjan in March 2004. Attempting to curb large-scale demonstrations against President Gbagbo, the security forces together with government-controlled militias blocked off entire neighbourhoods and dozens of people were killed already before they managed to join the demonstrations.

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2005 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2006 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2007 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2008 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2009 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2010 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2011 Dyad Archive

Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: The high discrepancy between the high and the low estimates is due to the fact that civilian casualties were often reported as summary figures with lack of sufficient information.
Comment on Active: In 2011, the presidential elections of 2010 resulted in violent clashes and severe human rights abuses. During the electoral preparations, Gbagbo tried, at several occasions, to limit northern participation by accusing the northern population of being composed by foreigners without the right to vote. When the Independent Electoral Commission gave the presidency to Outtara, the Constitutional Council (in favour of Gbagbo) overruled the result by invalidating votes originating from the northern regions. The presidency was instead given to Laurent Gbagbo, a presidency quickly condemned by the international community. Several months of electoral difficulties, interferences and alleged tampering resulted in the outbreak of violence throughout the country. In Abidjan security forces started targeting alleged supporters of Ouattara namely all ethnicities considered not to be Ivorian by origin. In the north, forces loyal to Ouattara launched a military campaign to remove Gbagbo from power during which severe human rights abuses were committed against the native ethnic groups supportive of Gbagbo such as the Guérés. With the change of government on March 30, widespread killings of civilians continued all through the remaining months of the year.

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2012 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2013 Dyad Archive

Negotiations: NO

Victory: NO

Terminated: NO

2020 Dyad Archive

Comment on Yearly Battle Related Deaths: All three civilian killings happened on the same day near Abidján, Ivory Coast.
Comment on Active: In 2020, gendarmes from the Government of Ivory Coast killed three men during a peaceful opposition demonstration to protest President Alassane Ouattara’s reelection. The episode of one-sided violence took place near Abidján, Ivory Coast.

Terminated: NO

2025 Dyad Archive

Terminated: NO