2017 Ivory Coast mutiny | |||||||
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| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
| Army mutineers (mostly ex-New Forces rebels) | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() | Unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
c. 13,600 men [3] | c. 8,400 men [3] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
At least one civilian killed. [3] |
A major mutiny broke out among the army of Ivory Coast in January 2017. The mutineers, mostly ex-Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire rebels who had been integrated into the armed forces in 2011, were motivated by grievances about their pay and living conditions. Seizing control of nine cities throughout the country, they pressured the government to accept their demands, whereupon the mutiny ended. A second mutiny broke out among the same soldiers in May 2017.
Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country located on the south coast of West Africa. Ivory Coast's political capital is Yamoussoukro, while its economic capital and largest city is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea and Liberia to the west, Burkina Faso and Mali to the north, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south.
The Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire is a political coalition that was formed in December 2002, in the wake of the first peace accords of the Ivorian Civil War.
The revolt began around 2 a.m. on 6 January, [7] when demobilised soldiers in Bouake, who demanded higher salaries and the payment of bonuses, seized weapons and ammunition at the local military base and police stations. [1] They were soon joined by other, still active soldiers, who had served during ECOWAS mission in Liberia, but claimed to not have been paid for taking part in these operations. After some firefights, the mutineers secured Bouaké, blockaded the city's entrances and told the local civilians to stay indoors. No further violence took place at Bouaké, [1] [8] though the mutiny quickly spread to other cities. Soldiers revolted at Daloa's military base; according to some sources, there was a short firefight, [8] [7] while others say that the rebels only shot into the air. In either case, the situation quickly calmed down, with mutineers in full control of the town. A number of rogue soldiers also drove into Korhogo, which was seized without any resistance. [1] Fighting was also reported at Daoukro and Odienné. [8] [7] Though the soldiers at the economic capital Abidjan initially remained calm, [1] many of them also mutinied in the night, so that by the end of 6 January, the mutineers had taken control of five cities, including Abidjan. UN peacekeepers were deployed throughout the country to keep the situation from escalating, [6] while defence minister Alain-Richard Donwahi said he would negotiate with the rebels at Bouaké on the next day. [1]
The Economic Community of West African States, also known as ECOWAS, is a regional economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of 5,114,162 km2 (1,974,589 sq mi), and in 2015 had an estimated population of over 349 million.
ECOWAS mission in Liberia (ECOMIL) was a peacekeeping force sent by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Liberia at the end of Second Liberian Civil War in September 2003.
Daloa is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both the Sassandra-Marahoué District and the Haut-Sassandra Region. It is also the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Daloa Department. Daloa is also a commune. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 319,427, making it the third-largest city in the country. It lies to the west of Yamoussoukro, the capital of Ivory Coast. Daloa is an important trading centre, particularly for cocoa. The city is served by Daloa Airport and is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Daloa, with its cathedral at Cathédrale du Christ-Roi. A future traveler called It the rib of Africa because it is under the shoulder of Africa.1
Most of the revolting soldiers were former members of the Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire, a rebel movement which had controlled the northern part of the country until the Second Ivorian Civil War, after which they had been integrated into the regular armed forces. [2]
The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Ivory Coast escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Ivory Coast since 2000, and supporters of the internationally recognised president-elect Alassane Ouattara. After months of unsuccessful negotiations and sporadic violence between supporters of the two sides, the crisis entered a critical stage as Ouattara's forces seized control of most of the country with the help of the UNO, with Gbagbo entrenched in Abidjan, the country's largest city. International organizations have reported numerous instances of human rights violations by both sides, in particular in the city of Duékoué where Ouattara's forces killed hundreds of people. Overall casualties of the war are estimated around 3000. The UN and French forces took military action, with the stated objective to protect their forces and civilians. France's forces arrested Gbagbo at his residence on 11 April 2011.
By the next day, the revolt had spread to nine cities: Bouaké, Abidjan, Odienné, Korhogo, Man, Daloa, Toulépleu, Abobo, and Daoukro. [7] [2] In Abidjan, the mutineers went on to take control of and then blockade the military headquarters including the defence ministry with makeshift barricades, [2] and also reportedly attacked a military base belonging to loyalist paratrooper commandos. [9] Fearing the violence could further escalate, Abidjan residents stocked up on food and water. Gunfire was also reported at Man and Bouaké. [10] Donwahi, along with Lt-Col Issiaka Ouattara, deputy commander of the loyalist Republican Guard, went to Bouaké in the early afternoon to negotiate with the rebelling soldiers. [2] [11] They managed to reach a deal with the rebels, who promised to end the mutiny and return to their barracks in return for the promise of higher wages and bonuses. President Alassane Ouattara then went on to say on national television that an agreement had been reached, though criticized the soldiers for their actions: "I would like to say that this manner of making demands is not appropriate. It tarnishes the image of our country after all our efforts to revive the economy." [5] [2]
Man is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Montagnes District and Tonkpi Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Man Department. In the 2014 census, Man had a population of 188,704, making it the eighth-largest city in the country.
Toulépleu is a town in the far west of Ivory Coast, near the border with Liberia. It is a sub-prefecture and the seat of Toulépleu Department in Cavally Region, Montagnes District. Toulépleu is also a commune.
Abobo is a northern suburb of Abidjan and one of the 10 urban communes of this city in Ivory Coast. Abobo is one of the most populated communes in the country with about one million inhabitants in an area of 9,000 ha (90 km2), a density of 111 inhabitants per hectare. Many of the residents are Muslim settlers from the north of the country.
Despite this, a large group of mutineers remained unsatisfied with the deal. These rebels consequently opened fire on the house where the negotiations took place, and declared that they wanted their bonuses to be paid immediately instead of in the following week. A standoff ensued, with the government representatives, including the defence minister, effectively held hostage for several hours. Early on 8 January, however, the mutineers released all hostages. [2]
Though the contents of the agreement were not published, the soldiers were reportedly promised higher salaries as well as an amnesty for all mutineers. On 9 January, president Ouattara relieved the heads of the army, police and paramilitary gendarmes of command. [12]
Ivory Coast invested remarkably in its transport system. Transport Infrastructures are much more developed than they are other West African countries despite a crisis that restrained their maintenance and development. Since its independence in 1960, Ivory Coast put an emphasis on increasing and modernizing the transport network for human as well as for goods. Major infrastructures of diverse nature were built including railways, roads, waterways, and airports. In spite of the crisis, neighbor countries still strongly depend on the Ivorian transport network for importing, exporting, and transiting their immigrants to Ivory Coast.
The Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire is the current name of the armed forces of Ivory Coast.
Koudou Laurent Gbagbo is an Ivorian politician who was the President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. A historian, Gbagbo was imprisoned in the early 1970s and again in the early 1990s, and he lived in exile in France during much of the 1980s as a result of his union activism. Gbagbo founded the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) in 1982 and ran unsuccessfully for president against Félix Houphouët-Boigny at the start of multi-party politics in 1990. He won a seat in the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire in 1990.
The Catholic Church in Ivory Coast is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholicism arrived in Ivory Coast through the arrival of French settlers.
Departments of Ivory Coast are currently the third-level administrative subdivision of the country. Each of the 31 second-level regions of Ivory Coast is divided into two or more departments. Each department is divided into two or more sub-prefectures, which are the fourth-level subdivisions in Ivory Coast. As of 2016, there are 108 departments of Ivory Coast.
Korhogo is a city in northern Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Savanes District and Poro Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Korhogo Department. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 286,071, making it the fourth-largest city in the country and the largest in northern Ivory Coast.
Bouaké is the second-largest city in Ivory Coast, with a population of 536,189. It is the seat of three levels of subdivision—Vallée du Bandama District, Gbêkê Region, and Bouaké Department. The city is located in the central part of Ivory Coast about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Lake Kossou, the country's largest lake. It is approximately 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of Abidjan on the Abidjan-Niger Railway and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Yamoussoukro, the capital of the country.
The First Ivorian Civil War was a conflict in the Ivory Coast that began in 2002. Although most of the fighting ended by late 2004, the country remained split in two, with a rebel-held Muslim north and a government-held Christian south. Hostility increased and raids on foreign troops and civilians rose. As of 2006, the region was tense, and many said the UN and the French military failed to calm the civil war.
Ibrahim Coulibaly was a military and rebel leader in Côte d'Ivoire. A Staff Sergeant in the Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, Coulibaly had served since at least the early 1990s. As Côte d'Ivoire slid into communal conflict, Coulibaly joined the 1999 coup led by Robert Guéï. A second coup, following 2000 elections that made Laurent Gbagbo President, saw Coulibaly in a leadership position, after which he came into conflict with fellow military leader Guillaume Soro. During the ensuing eight years of division in the country, Coulibaly came into conflict with both sides, eventually returning to lead an Abidjan-based militia supportive of Alassane Ouattara. Following the end of fighting, Coulibaly was killed in Abidjan by Ouattara's forces during an attempt to disarm his group. Known popularly as "IB", he was 47 years old at the time of his death.
Opération Licorne was the name of the French Armed Forces's peacekeeping operation in support of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire. The French forces have been stationed in the country since shortly after the outbreak of the Ivorian Civil War. The troops' main mission was to support the United Nations peacekeeping mission and to ensure the security of French and foreign nationals.
Presidential elections were held in Ivory Coast in 2010. The first round was held on 31 October, and a second round, in which President Laurent Gbagbo faced opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, was held on 28 November 2010. Originally scheduled to be held in 2005, the vote was delayed several times due to the Ivorian Civil War and difficulties involved in the organization and preparation of the elections. A peace agreement between the government and the former rebel New Forces was signed on 4 March 2007, and in late April 2009, it was announced that the elections would be held by 6 December 2009, and that the date would be announced shortly. On 15 May 2009, the date was announced to be 29 November 2009. On 11 November, the elections were postponed again due to delays in the electoral roll. It was announced on 3 December 2009 to be held in late February or early March 2010.
Three serious incidents of unrest in the New Forces, a former rebel group in Côte d'Ivoire, occurred in mid-2008. These incidents occurred in the midst of a disarmament process, according to which a portion of the New Forces fighters were to be integrated into the army, while the majority were to be given work on projects. The disarmament process was to be followed by a presidential election and a parliamentary election.
The 1999 Ivorian coup d'état took place on December 24, 1999. It was the first coup d'état since the independence of Ivory Coast and led to the President Henri Konan Bédié being deposed.
The following lists events that happened during 2002 in Ivory Coast.
The following lists events in the year 2017 in Ivory Coast.