Countries
Côte d’Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is located in West Africa. The President is Laurent Koudou Gbagbo, elected in 2000.

A failed coup d’état in 2002 against President Gbagbo roused a civil war between the Ivorian army and the New Forces, a group of three paramilitary groups. As a result the southern part  of the country is controlled by the government of President Gbagbo and the north, a majority Muslim region, held by the rebel groups of the New Forces which are the Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire (MPCI), the Movement for Justice and Peace (MJP) and Movement of the Ivory Coast of the Great West (MPIGO).
The two areas are divided by a buffer zone, cutting the country from east to west, patrolled by 10.000 officers of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) peacekeeping mission and of the French army.

Various mercenary groups are active on the borders with Liberia and Sierra Leone, fighting for the best-paying bidder.

In 2007 the fighting parties signed the Ouagadougou Treaty. However none of it's principle objectives have been reached thus far. There has been a lack of political will from both sides to stop the violence.

The presidential elections were even postponed for the fourth time in October 2009 and combatants have yet to be disarmed. There is also considerable conflict over land rights and citizenship, which add to the already fragile political situation in the country.

Both the government and the rebels continue to commit abuses, including extortions at checkpoints and sexual violence against women and girls, with almost total impunity. The judicial system is  also incredibly corrupt, it lacks independence from politicians and other powerful figures, as well as lacks significan resources to operate effectively.

The embargo on arms and diamond export was renewed in October 2009 for another year by the UN Security Council.