Background

The current conflict in the Côte d’Ivoire erupted in September 2002, when a mutiny was staged in Abidjan by soldiers that were unhappy with plans to demobilize them. The mutiny turned into a full-scale rebellion, and rebel groups seized control of the Muslim areas in the north and west of the country. The southern part of the country is controlled by predominantly-Christian government forces. The rebellion reflected the unhappiness of northern Muslims at what they saw as discrimination by the government of President Laurent Gbagbo. Serious human rights abuses were committed by the rebel groups, including summary executions, torture and rape.

In 2003 the Linas-Marcoussis peace accords were signed in France, and a power sharing government was agreed on which would include nine rebel members. However, the rebel groups, called the Forces Nouvelles, pulled out of the agreement in September 2003 accusing the Côte d’Ivoire’s president, Gbagbo, of failing to honor the peace agreement. They rejoined the government  in December 2003.

The United Nations Mission in the Côte d’Ivoire (MINUCI) was established in May 2003.  It was a small political mission designed to help the parties implement the Linas-Marcoussis peace agreement. It did not have a peacekeeping component. In April 2004, at the request of the government, the Security Council replaced MINUCI with the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

UNOCI is a fully-fledged peacekeeping operation, with more than 6,000 troops in Côte d’Ivoire.  There are also troops from France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the country. The French and ECOWAS troops provide support to the UNOCI peacekeepers. Together, they patrol an area between the government forces in the south and the rebel forces in the north.

Today

Although fighting between the rebels and the government has mostly ceased, the situation remains poor in the Côte d’Ivoire. Reports of armed robbery, looting and rape are still common where the Forces Nouvelles still hold power. In addition, there have been reports of sporadic fighting amongst the rebel groups, as local leaders vie for power.

Most of the inhabitants of the rebel-controlled areas lack basic health care, sanitation, water, and other services. Thousands of civilians, who were displaced by the fighting, are now unable to return to their homes and are currently living in squalid displacement camps. In a recent report to the Security Council, UN Secretary General warned that the economic situation in Côte d’Ivoire is deteriorating and that unemployment and poverty are rising. He warned of dire consequences for the country if the government and the rebels cannot work together to implement the peace agreement.

While the parties are no longer actively fighting, there has been little progress in implementing the Linas-Marcoussis peace agreement. The Forces Nouvelles pulled out of the government in September 2003 and rejoined in December 2003. The rebels boycotted the government again in March 2004 and were ousted from the government by President Gbagbo.

In late July 2004, Secretary General Kofi Annan arranged a summit between all of the representatives of the various factions in Accra, Ghana in an effort to restart the peace process. At the summit, the parties re-committed themselves to implementing the Lanis-Marcoussis peace agreement. Since then, the transitional government has met for the first time since March.

At the Accra meeting, the parties agreed to the creation of a monitoring group that will report regularly to the UN, ECOWAS, and the African Union on progress in implementing the peace agreement. The initial reports of the monitoring group indicate that some progress has been made, particularly with the reconstitution of the transitional government.

At this time, the greatest challenge confronting Côte d’Ivoire is the failure to implement the 2003 peace agreement and the resulting deterioration of the economic and social conditions in the country. While the parties have recently agreed again to implement the peace accords, it is too early to tell whether it will be more successful than it was in 2003. It is important that the international community remain involved in Côte d’Ivoire.

It is particularly important that the African Union, ECOWAS, and the UN Secretary General remain actively involved and continue to apply pressure to the parties. It was only through the Secretary General's recent intervention that the parties agreed to the summit in Accra. Without constant pressure it is likely that the implementation process would collapse again.


Updated September 17, 2004

UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI)

UN Mission in the Côte d'Ivoire (MINUCI) - MINUCI was integrated into UNOCI in April 2004.