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2010–2011 Ivorian crisis

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2010–2011 Ivorian crisis
Date28 November 2010 – present
Location
Côte d'Ivoire
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Ivorian Popular Front Rally of the Republicans
Commanders and leaders
Laurent Gbagbo Alassane Ouattara
Casualties and losses
36 security forces killed[1] 4 killed (Dec. 2)[2]
32 killed (Dec. 16)[3]
2 killed (FN)[4]
210 killed overall[5]

The 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis is an ongoing political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire which began after Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Cote d'Ivoire since 2000, claimed he had won the Ivorian election of 2010, the first election in the country in 10 years. His opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara and number of countries, organizations and leaders worldwide claimed Alassane had won the election.

Announcement of results and post-election conflict

On 2 December 2010, CEI (Commission Electorale Indépendante) President Youssouf Bakayoko announced provisional results showing that Alassane Ouattara had won the Ivorian election of 2010 in the second round with 54.1% of the vote, against 45.9% for Laurent Gbagbo; he reported that turnout was 81.09%. Results had been expected and then postponed for days, beyond the deadline, and Bakayoko's appearance to announce the results—at an Abidjan hotel heavily guarded by the United Nations—took the press by surprise.[6] Bakayoko reportedly chose to announce the results at the hotel, which Ouattara had been using as "his base", because he wanted to have the security of UN protection when doing so.[7] According to the 2003 Peace Accords signed in the suburbs of Paris, the majority of the CEI must consist of politians of the opposition (Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire – African Democratic Rally and Rally of the Republicans).

Paul Yao N'Dre, the President of the Constitutional Council (a body that was viewed by the opposition as favoring Gbagbo, because N'Dre was considered an ally of the President), then took to the airwaves to say that the CEI had no authority left to announce any results, because it had already missed its deadline to announce them, and consequently the results were invalid. [8][7] According to N'Dre, the passing of the deadline meant that only the Constitutional Council was "authorised to announce decisions on the contested results." It was widely presumed that the Court would issue a ruling favoring Gbagbo, although the CEI's results indicated that Gbagbo could only be credited with victory if hundreds of thousands of votes were invalidated.[7]

Shortly after the announcements, the military sealed the country's borders.[7]

Double victory claims

On 3 December, the Constitutional Council declared Gbagbo winner. [9] N'Dre announced that the results in seven northern regions were cancelled, thereby swinging the outcome narrowly in favor of Gbagbo, who was credited with 51.45% of the vote while Ouattara had 48.55%.[10]

On the basis of the CEI's results, Ouattara maintained that he was "the elected President" and said that the Constitutional Council had "abused its authority, the whole world knows it, and I am sorry for my country's image".[11] He had the clear backing of the international and regional community for his claim to victory, but top officers in the military appeared to stand firmly behind Gbagbo.[12]

The New Forces and Prime Minister Soro both supported Ouattara's claim to victory;[13] Soro said that he considered Ouattara the rightful President and offered his resignation to Ouattara on 4 December.[14] Gbagbo was sworn in for another five-year term on 4 December, defiantly declaring: "I will continue to work with all the countries of the world, but I will never give up our sovereignty." Sporadic violence and gunfire were reported in various parts of the country, including Abidjan.[13] Gbagbo appointed a new Prime Minister, Gilbert Aké, on 5 December; Aké, an economist and university president, was already regarded as close to Gbagbo.[15]

Ouattara himself was sworn in separately shortly after, saying that "Ivory Coast is now in good hands". Ouattara then re-appointed Soro as his prime minister.[16]

Reactions

International

Angola and Lebanon were the only countries to send their ambassadors to Gbagbo's swearing-in.[17] The African Union—which, like the United Nations, formally recognised Ouattara as the duly elected President—warned that the conflicting results and subsequent political crisis could result in "incalculable consequences", and sent former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki to mediate the issue.[16] The US, UN, EU, ECOWAS, as well as former colonial power France affirmed their support to Ouattara. [18]

On 5 December, former South African President Thabo Mbeki held separate talks with Gbagbo and Ouattara, acting as a mediator. The African Union had appointed Mbeki to lead an emergency mission to Côte d'Ivoire "to facilitate the rapid and peaceful conclusion of the electoral process and the efforts to find a way out of the crisis."[19] However, he left the next day without a deal.[20]

On 20 December, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told a news briefing that it was "time for [Gbagbo] to go" and that "We stand ready to impose targeted sanctions, individually and in concert with our partners around the world, on President Gbagbo, on his immediate family, on those who are associated with him and those who continue to cling to power illegitimately."[21] On 21 December, the United States Department of State announced that it had imposed travel sanctions against Gbagbo and 30 allies. William Fitzgerald, the deputy assistant secretary for African affairs, said that trade sanctions may be imposed against individuals. On 22 December, State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said that Ouattara's victory was irrefutable and reiterated U.S. demands that Gbagbo step down.[22]

On 28 December, presidents Yayi Boni of Benin, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde arrived in the country on behalf of ECOWAS, to convince Gbagbo to resign and go into exile for the sake of his country, while declaring it was Gbagbo's last chance before the deployment of military force against him.[23][24]

United Nations

On 18 December, a United Nations spokesperson said in response to a Gbagbo demand that foreign armed troops leave the country that the UN did not consider Gbagbo to be the president, and that peacekeepers would continue to support and protect both Alassane Ouattara and Ivorian citizens.[25]

On 23 December 2010, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution that "strongly condemned human rights violations that had taken place in Côte d’Ivoire...that occurred in different parts of Côte d’Ivoire in relation to the conclusion of the 2010 presidential election."[26] The resolution was criticized by Amnesty International as having insufficiently addressed the situation.[27]

Impact on cocoa and sugar markets

As a declining economy threatens the status of Côte d'Ivoire, as the largest producer of cocoa in the world, a revival hinged on the outcome of the election.[28]

Media

Reporters Without Borders observed that public media had been neutral in its coverage of the candidates, but it also noted that Gbagbo's campaign had received a substantially larger amount of coverage.[29] Reporters have been threatened by armed forces sympathetic to Gbagbo.[30]

The internationally traded price for cocoa and white sugar fell in the week prior to the election on speculation that the election would spur production.[31]

Post-election violence and human rights violations

Opposition figure Guillaume Soro stated that Gbagbo's security forces and Liberian mercenaries had waged a campaign of terror, and that death squads had been responsible for 200 deaths, 1,000 people wounded from gunfire, 40 disappearances and 732 arrests.[32] He told The Guardian that "women have been beaten, stripped, assaulted and raped. When will the international community realise that a murderous insanity has begun in Ivory Coast?"[32] Amnesty International said it had received increasing reports of atrocities in the country.[32] Thousands of refugees have left the country.[33]

Status

Gbagbo

On 18 December 2010, Gbagbo ordered peacekeeping forces from the United Nations and France to leave the country; the government issued a statement saying that it " demands the departure of the UNOCI and LICORNE forces in Ivory Coast and is opposed to any renewal of their mandate."[34] In January 2011, Gbagbo requested a recount of the votes, along with the creation of a committee composed of international members that would oversee the recount.[35] He also engaged in a diplomatic campaign to gain support from countries like Zimbabwe, while at the same time expelling ambassadors from the United Kingdom and Canada, countries that did not recognize his leadership.[35][36] After the election, Gbagbo retained control of the country's armed forces and the state media.[36]

Ouattara

Ouattara is holed up on the first floor of the Golf Hotel in Ivorian capital of Abidjan while Gbagbo remains at the presidential palace. Ouattara has held Cabinet meetings in a tent on the hotel's lawn and is using the fax machine in the hotel manager's office to communicate with foreign embassies. The hotel is guarded by about 800 UN peacekeepers, who have encircled the site with coiled razor wire and guard the premises with white UN armored personnel carriers and security checks for visitors.[37]

According to local UN mission chief Choi Young-jin, troops loyal to Gbagbo (about 3,000 militiamen according to an Ouattara spokesman[38]) have occupied the neighborhood surrounding the Golf Hotel and set up a blockade that is preventing UN trucks from bringing food, water and medicine to the hotel; UN trucks are sent each day but have been turned back every time. A spokesman for the local UN mission said that "We're still trying to find alternative ways in." Ouattara has a pirate radio station inside the hotel that broadcasts campaign songs, speeches from Ouattara, and statements by his spokesman. Technicians working for Gbagbo have been jamming the signal and so the station has been changing frequencies several times a day.[39][37]

References

  1. ^ "Ivory Coast Strike Called to Force Gbagbo Out". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  2. ^ Chown, Marco (2010-12-02). "4 killed in attack on Ivory Coast candidate office". Deseret News. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  3. ^ Post a Job (2010-12-16). "Ivory Coast Opposition Says 32 Supporters Killed". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  4. ^ "Two rebel soldiers killed in Ivory Coast". AfricaNews. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  5. ^ Ivory Coast: Deadly ethnic clashes in Duekoue BBC News
  6. ^ David Lewis and Loucoumane Coulibaly, "Ivory Coast's Ouattara wins vote - election chief", Reuters, 2 December 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d David Lewis and Tim Cocks, "Ivory Coast seals borders after opposition win", Reuters, 2 December 2010.
  8. ^ Christophe Koffi, "Ouattara named winner of I.Coast election", AFP, 2 December 2010.
  9. ^ "Ivory Coast poll overturned: Gbagbo declared winner". BBC news. 3 December 2010.
  10. ^ "Constitutional body names Gbagbo I.Coast election winner", AFP, 3 December 2010.
  11. ^ "World leaders back Ouattara as Ivory Coast poll winner", BBC News, 3 December 2010.
  12. ^ Tim Cocks and Loucoumane Coulibaly, Ivory Coast's Gbagbo sworn in despite poll row, Reuters, 4 December 2010.
  13. ^ a b Tim Cocks and Loucoumane Coulibaly, "Ivory Coast's Gbagbo sworn in despite poll row", Reuters, 4 December 2010.
  14. ^ Roland Lloyd Parry, "Defiant Gbagbo sworn in as I.Coast president", AFP, 3 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire: Laurent Gbagbo nomme à son tour son Premier ministre", AFP, 5 December 2010 Template:Fr icon.
  16. ^ a b "Thabo Mbeki to mediate in Ivory Coast president crisis". BBC News. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  17. ^ Despite Growing Pressure, Ivory Coast Incumbent Gbagbo Still Has Outside Allies VOA
  18. ^ Ivory Coast's Gbagbo defies world leaders, euronews.com, Dec 04 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  19. ^ Olivier Monnier and Pauline Bax. "Mbeki in Ivory Coast to Mediate as Gbagbo, Ouattara Each Claim Presidency." Bloomberg, 5 December 2010.
  20. ^ AU mediator Thabo Mbeki leaves Ivory Coast without a breakthrough, BBC World Service, 7 December 2010.
  21. ^ "White House: It's time for Gbagbo to go," Reuters, 20 December 2010.
  22. ^ Indira A.R. Lakshmanan and Flavia Krause-Jackson, "U.S. Urges More Peacekeeping Troops, Sanctions to Stem Ivory Coast Chaos," Bloomberg, 22 December 2010.
  23. ^ Eric Agnero (2010-12-28). "African leaders arrive in Ivory Coast to deal with political crisis". CNN. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  24. ^ SME. "Prezidenti skúsia predísť invázii do Pobrežia Slonoviny" (in Slovak). SITA. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  25. ^ "UN Spokesman: Gbagbo Not Ivory Coast President". Voice of America. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  26. ^ "Special session of Human Rights Council on Côte d'Ivoire concludes after adopting a resolution calling for end to all human rights violations". United Nations Human Rights Council. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  27. ^ "Ivory Coast: 'Disappointment' at UN's response to worsening situation". Amnesty International. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  28. ^ "Cote d'Ivoire's declining economy - Africa". Al Jazeera English. 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  29. ^ "I.Coast presidential challenger seeks to unify opposition", AFP, 10 November 2010.
  30. ^ "BBC - Andrew Harding on Africa: Gbagbo loyalist threats highlight Ivory Coast fears". 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  31. ^ Roy, Debarati (2010-10-29). "Sugar Jumps to Highest Since February; Coffee Gains; Cocoa Drops". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  32. ^ a b c "Death squads attacking Ivory Coast opposition, claims spokesman". The Guardian. 21 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  33. ^ "BBC News - Thousands flee Ivory Coast for Liberia amid poll crisis". 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  34. ^ "UN convoy attacked by gunman in Ivory Coast as peacekeeping forces ordered to leave country". Wikinews. 18 December 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  35. ^ a b "Cote d'Ivoir's Gbagbo goes on diplomatic offensive". Xinhua. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  36. ^ a b "Ivory Coast expels British, Canadian ambassadors". Wikinews. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  37. ^ a b By AP / RUKMINI CALLIMACHI Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010 (2010-12-12). "Alassane Ouattara Governs Ivory Coast from Hotel". TIME. Retrieved 2010-12-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Ivory Coast in political violence". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  39. ^ Canada. "Ivorian president-elect confined to hotel". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
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