Ivory Coast.
After some thirty years of stability under the leadership of President Houphouet-Boigny following its 1960 Independence, the Ivory Coast descended into a series of coups, civil war and increasing tensions manipulated along ethnic lines. The latest of which began following disputed Presidential elections in late-2010. Several weeks of battles left thousands dead and eventually led to the capture of President Laurent Gbagbo, after intense aerial bombing of his positions by the UN and French Licorne forces. Opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara was later sworn in as President, vowing to create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as sporadic violence and abuses continued.
From the blog
From the field Ivory Coast in crisis
We woke up to the steady rat-a-tat-tat of the AKs at barely daybreak. We had been warned the day before that the rebels were moving towards the city, but the violence that accompanied their arrival still surprised us. Looking out our back window, we saw them moving up the street; first the foot soldiers shooting forward with their guns, followed by a large group of excited civilians, including women with their small children, who cheered then ducked behind cars and debris on the side of the road when fire returned in their direction. The fighting quickly grew in intensity, as bodies began to line the street, and jeeps and heavy artillery trucks packed with fighters passed, one after another after another. Read more >>>
