For more than three decades after its independence from France, Côte d’Ivoire or Côte d’Ivoire was known for its religious and ethnic harmony, as well as its well-developed economy.
The West African country has been hailed as a model of stability. But an armed uprising in 2002 split the country in two. Peace deals were interspersed with renewed violence as the country slowly moved towards a political resolution of the conflict.
Despite the instability, Ivory Coast is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans and the people of Ivory Coast enjoy a relatively high income compared to other countries in the region.
Capital: Yamoussoukro (political) Abidjan (economic)
Area: 322,463 square kilometers
Population: 29.3 million
languages: French, plus Bété, Jula, Baule, Abron, Anyin, Cebaara Senufo and others
Life expectancy: 62 years (men) 65 years (women)
President: Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Ouattara has been in power since his predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo, was forcibly removed from office after refusing to accept Ouattara’s internationally recognized victory in the November 2010 presidential election.
In 2015, Mr Ouattara won a second five-year term in office with nearly 84% of the vote, in an election described as credible by US observers.
His 2020 re-election was more controversial, with the opposition boycotting the poll in protest at what they called an unconstitutional third term.
Mr. Ouattara, a US-educated economist from the Islamic north, was President Felix Houphouet-Boigny’s last prime minister after a long career at the International Monetary Fund.
The government manages the outlets with the greatest reach, including TV and radio networks and the main daily newspaper.
The first private terrestrial TV stations were licensed in 2018.
Press freedom “depends a lot on the political context,” says Reporters Without Borders.
Read the full media profile
Some important dates in the history of Ivory Coast:
1842 – France imposes protectorate over coastal area and later colonizes Ivory Coast.
1944 – Felix Houphouet-Boigny, later the first president of the Ivory Coast, founded a union of African farmers, which grew into the inter-territorial African Democratic Rally and its Ivorian branch, the Ivory Coast Democratic Party.
1958 – Ivory Coast becomes a republic within the French Community.
1960 – France grants independence under President Felix Houphouet-Boigny. He held power until his death in 1993.
1999 – President Henri Konan Bedie, in power since 1993, is overthrown in a military coup.
2000 – Laurent Gbagbo becomes president after controversial elections.
2002-2007 – Civil war effectively divides the country into a Muslim rebel-held north and a government-controlled Christian south after renegade soldiers try to oust Mr Gbagbo.
2007 – Gbagbo and rebel chief Guillaume Soro of the New Forces sign an agreement to end the crisis.
2010 – Long delayed presidential elections. The Election Commission declares Alassane Ouattara the winner of the second round. Mr Gbagbo refuses to stop. Post-election violence causes 3,000 deaths and 500,000 displaced.
2016 – Al-Qaeda jihadists attack the seaside town of Grand Bassam, near Abidjan, killing 18 people.
2019 – The International Criminal Court acquits former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo of charges of crimes against humanity over violence following the 2010 elections.
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Publish date : 2023-01-25 10:54:18
