What's doin' in the Ivory Coast?

Mata Musing

There's been a distinct lack of headlines on the mayhem and diplomatic battle over the Ivory Coast of late.

Personally I find it a fascinating study with parallels to the Iraqi war... much to French alarm, no doubt... with France in the starring role as the "occupier" to the youthful Ivory Coast rebels, balking against what they perceive as a neo-colonial economy.

France has had a presence of about 1,000 troops in Cote d’Ivoire under a military cooperation agreement signed in 1960 that allows French military intervention “in the event of foreign aggression.” Following the outbreak of the civil war in late 2002 between government forces and northern rebels, France expanded that force to about 5,000.

Today the US and coalition have a support role, subordinate to the Interim Iraqi authority's diplomatic requests of warefare strategy. As demonstrated in Falluja, we don't just blast our way thru the country without the blessings and support of the Iraqi military.

But the parallel ends with international opinion and unquestioned support. The AU, UN, and even the EU lent an after-the-fact blessing on France's military actions, and started churning out the resolutions and sanctions in favor of French interests. Needless to say, this is something unlikely to happen for the American coalition and Iraqi citizens seeking a free Iraq.

Historically, the French, themselves, were centerstage is evoking the country's warring factions.

After the civil war, the French forced Pres. Gbagbo to abandon the controversial concept of the “Ivoirite” built into the constitution, under which about four million northerners in a population of 15 million were denied political participation or land ownership. This was on the ground that they were descendants of migrants from neighboring countries, mostly Burkina Faso and Mali.

Well now... do ya think if you disinherit and disenfranchise an entire population with one fell swoop, that violent dissention can hit a new high?

A peace agreement signed in Marcoussis in France in January last year imposed upon the government the end of the concept of Ivoirite. This was the main demand of rebels trying to oust Pres. Gbagbo.

“By building the end of the Ivoirite into the peace agreement, the French government bestowed a degree of legitimacy on Gbagbo rivals,” Claudine Vidal, expert on West African politics at the French National Research Center, told IPS.

Talk about meddling... Obviously the French lesson in how to win friends and gain popularity was one Gbagbo should had ignored.

When Gbagbo's military attacked a French outpost during an offensive against the former "Ivorites", the Ivory Coast gov't found it had not only the rebels with which to contend, but a new adversary in the French themselves.

And the spiral has continued downward from there.

The UN Resolution signed in November instituting a travel ban and asset freeze on some as of yet unnamed individuals has just commenced this week, so the results are far from being noticeable. The arms embargo in the same resolution was implemented earlier. Yet even now the UN is struggling to toughen the embargo since all parties have failed to honor their pledges.

As of today's date, we find lovefest between the French and Ivory Coast President Gbagbo suffering, with a possible divorce on the horizon as Chirac labels his "a questionable regime".


Do I sniff a "regime change" plea to the UN somewhere in the future of the Ivory Coast? No doubt the French will enjoy a better response with fewer resolutions than the US..

As for the possibilities of a truce between the gov't and northern rebels, apparently both sides have dug in their heels and are at a impasse.

The French are again trying to persuade government leaders and rebels to hold talks, but this time no one seems to be listening. Pres. Gbagbo says that honoring the Marcoussis agreement is now out of the question. Rebel leaders say it is not good enough for them either.

One can't blame anyone for ignoring France now. The Ivory Coast had far more stability before their meddling.