This dyad belongs to the conflict Ivory Coast: Government
Summary of conflict Ivory Coast: Government
The conflict in Ivory Coast followed an economic downturn and subsequent discrimination of the country’s Muslim and immigrant population. The three rebel groups emerging in late 2002 sought to improve the situation of these population groups and to topple the government of President Laurent Gbagbo. In late 2004, fighting ceased, but a halting peace process dragged on for several years after the end of the armed conflict. Starting with the announcement of election results favorable to Alassane Ouattara, a new conflict broke out in 2010. The President refused to step down. Laurent Gbagbo was captured by the rebel group FRCI on 11 April 2011 and was sent to trial in Hague.
2010 elections and the following conflict
After a series of delays, the results of the 2010 presidential elections were announced by the Ivorian Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on 2 December. The presidency stood between Laurent Gbagbo, the man who had been running the country for a decade, and the opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara. With 54% of the vote, the commission declared Alassane Ouattara the winner of the second round, making him the new president of Côte d'Ivoire.
Although international observers judged the elections to have been fair and just, the results of the IEC were strongly criticized by officials in the pro-Gbagbo camp. Their concern lay within the voting procedures of the rebellious north, claiming that they had been rigged to favor the opposition. In the immediate aftermath, the Constitutional Council, headed by close allies of Laurent Gbagbo, pointed to the IEC's lack of authority to deal with the matter since the deadline set up to present the electoral results had been missed. Supporting the concerns presented by officials within the FPI (Ivorian Popular Front), the council nullified the results of seven regions located in the northern parts of the country. As a result, the presidency was accorded to Laurent Gbagbo with 51% of the vote. Shortly after, the borders were closed, foreign media was forbidden from broadcasting, and the forces of the United Nations present within the country were asked to leave by Gbagbo officials. The international community quickly condemned Gbagbo's illegitimate presidency by recognizing Ouattara as the official president.
Several months of electoral difficulties, interferences, and alleged tampering demonstrated that ethnicity remained a key factor in the continuous instability of the country. History was about to repeat itself as the presidential dispute unleashed a wave of violence. Indeed, the return to violence was considered by many as the continuation of the civil war. In Abidjan, security forces joined by pro-Gbagbo militia clashed with supporters of Alassane Ouattara, and peaceful demonstrations turned bloody as armed forces loyal to the former president opened fire on unarmed civilians.
In the northern parts of Côte d'Ivoire, still under the control of the FN (Forces Nouvelles), the support for Alassane Ouattara was unquestionable. Rapidly organizing themselves, the well-armed rebel movement started marching south by the end of February to overthrow Laurent Gbagbo. In the economic capital of Abidjan, where fighting was the most concentrated, supporters of Ouattara listened to Ouattara's call for resistance and fought the security forces sent out by Gbagbo.
On 22 February 2011, members of the CECOS unit (Centre de commandement des opérations de sécurité) were ambushed in the suburb of Abobo. Responsibility for the attack, which resulted in the death of several members of the security forces, was claimed by a group called the FDSI-CI, an organized militia group supportive of the rightful president Ouattara.
The creation of FDSI-CI (Forces de Défense et de Sécurité Impartiales de Côte d'Ivoire), also known as the invisible commandos, was a response to the systematic repression and killing of supporters, or alleged supporters, of Alassane Ouattara. With the primary objective of protecting the civilian population, the commandos infiltrated Abobo, a pro-Ouattara suburb situated in the northern parts of Abidjan. Composed by elements of the regular army, volunteers, and former members of the FN (Forces Nouvelles), the militia group used guerrilla warfare and organized roadblocks to retaliate and prevent Security Forces and pro-Gbagbo militias from entering the protected neighborhoods. By looting the bodies of killed enemies, weaponry rapidly evolved from machetes and small arms to the use of automatic rifles and rocket-launchers.
The leadership of the FDSI-CI was claimed by Ibrahim Coulibaly, a well-known character in the violent past of the Côte d'Ivoire. Previously a member of the national armed forces and a bodyguard to Ouattara during his time as prime-minister, Coulibaly changed direction at the death of former president Houphouët Boigny. In the years following the event, Ibrahim Coulibaly became known for his leadership within the FN (Forces Nouvelles), for his involvement in the disposal of Konan Bedié in 1999 and his numerous attempts against Laurent Gbagbo.
Fighting had until the middle of March been characterized by sporadic clashes and defensive manoeuvers within the near surroundings of the stronghold of Abobo. In the middle of March, the FDSI-CI changed tactics from a defensive force into a more offensive one expanding their control over the northern parts of Abidjan. On 31 March, the FN, now known as the Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire on 11 April 2011. In November 2011, Laurent Gbagbo was extradited to ICC in Hague. His trial started in 2015 and is still ongoing.
With the end of the Ivorian election crisis, Alassane Ouattara ordered all militia groups to disarm and join the national army. While seeking recognition for the important role his forces had played in the removal of Laurent Gbagbo, the leader of the FDSI-CI was denied an audience with President Alassane Ouattara as long as his forces remained armed. After several refusals, the FRCI launched an assault against the militia stronghold in Abobo and killed the leader Ibrahim Coulibaly. Although the circumstances remain unclear, the government of Ouattara justified the attack by the systematic refusal to disarm and obey the president to whom they had pledged allegiance. In the months following the event, hundreds of members of the FDSI-CI disarmed and joined the national army.
