Political dialogue in Côte d’Ivoire: a difficult, but exemplary task. Could the Ivory Coast become a role model of multi-dimensional reconciliation for other African nations?

ABSTRACT

In Côte d’Ivoire, eight years after the civil war, initiatives for improving the conditions of a still-polarised society through parallel civil and political reconciliation mechanisms are underway. Institutionalised reconciliation commissions are flanked by new electoral alliances and the return of well-known players. All of these trajectories have the ability to further dialogue if they overcome narrow group interests and dedicate themselves to the greater good of the country, i.e. if they join forces, at least to some extent. Democratisation as a common goal will play a crucial role in every regard. If combined and successful, these initiatives could turn out to be exemplary for other Sub-Saharan African nations too – but only if everything goes extremely well, and all actors accept the teachings of the case and are willing to compromise on multiple levels, write Roland Benedikter, Ismaila Ouedraogo and William Mensa Tsedse.

KEYWORDS:

• Africa
• Ivory Coast
• Reconciliation
• Political Dialogue
• Conflict resolution
• International Criminal Court

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Roland Benedikter, Dr. Dr. Dr., is Co-Head of the Center for Advanced Studies of Eurac Research Bozen-Bolzano, the research flagship of the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol in Italy, Research Professor of Multidisciplinary Political Analysis in residence at the Willy Brandt Centre of the University of Wroclaw-Breslau, Poland, and Full Member of the Club of Rome. His publications about Africa include Foreign Affairs https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/burkina-faso/2017-04-25/violent-extremism-takes-root-burkina-faso, IPI Global Observatory https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/05/burkina-faso-extremism-al-qaeda-ansarul-islam/, Global Policy http://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/22/05/2014/europe-and-africa-towards-new-strategy, LSE Africa http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2017/04/03/progress-for-the-few-a-retrospective-of-democratisation-and-development-in-togo/, and Challenge. The Magazine of Economic Affairs http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/05775132.2017.1357386?journalCode=mcha20.

Ismaila Ouedraogo is a Junior Project Manager and biomedical engineering student at Erciyes University, currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the University of Technology of Compiègne, France. He is also a Program Coordinator for the environmental organisation Plant for the Planet. His publications about African affairs include Foreign Affairs https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/burkina-faso/2017-04-25/violent-extremism-takes-root-burkina-faso and the IPI Global Observatory https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/05/burkina-faso-extremism-al-qaeda-ansarul-islam/. Contact: [email protected].

William Mensa Tsedze is an environmental and sustainable development activist, a rural economy focal point expert at the United Nations Major Group on Children and Youth (UNMGCY) and member of the World Youth Alliance. His publications include LSE Africa http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2017/04/03/progress-for-the-few-a-retrospective-of-democratisation-and-development-in-togo/. Contact: [email protected].

Notes

1 Assemblee Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire, ‘Président de l’Assemblée Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire: Biographie de Guillaume Kigbafori Soro’, http://www.assnat.ci/assembleenationale/?biographie-de-guillaume-kigbafori-soro (accessed January 25, 2019).

2 France 24, ‘Henri Konan Bédié confirme sa rupture avec Alassane Ouattara’, https://www.france24.com/fr/lentretien-france-24/20181214-france-24-henri-konan-bedie-confirme-rupture-alassane-ouattara (accessed December 14, 2018).

3 Modeste Dossou, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: Laurent Gbagbo, Guillaume Soro et Konan Bédié, vers une alliance contre Ouattara?’, Benin Web TV, https://beninwebtv.com/2018/12/cote-divoire-laurent-gbagbo-guillaume-soro-et-konan-bedie-vers-une-alliance-contre-ouattara/ (accessed December 14, 2018).

4 France 24, ‘Henri Konan Bédié confirme sa rupture avec Alassane Ouattara’, https://www.france24.com/fr/lentretien-france-24/20181214-france-24-henri-konan-bedie-confirme-rupture-alassane-ouattara (accessed December 14, 2018).

5 Global Witness, ‘Hot Chocolate: How Cocoa fuelled the Conflict in Côte d’Ivoire’, https://site-media.globalwitness.org/archive/files/pdfs/cotedivoire.pdf, June 2007.

6 Alexis Adele, ‘How Selective Justice Is Eroding Peace in Côte d’Ivoire: Six Years of Post-conflict Trials Have Wrapped up, But All Those Convicted Were on the Same side’, IRIN, https://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2018/02/28/how-selective-justice-eroding-peace-cote-d-ivoire (accessed February 28, 2018).

7 France 24, ‘Henri Konan Bédié confirme sa rupture avec Alassane Ouattara’, https://www.france24.com/fr/lentretien-france-24/20181214-france-24-henri-konan-bedie-confirme-rupture-alassane-ouattara (accessed December 14, 2018).

8 Anna Sylvestre-Treiner, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: la visite de Soro à Bédié, premier pas vers une alliance?’, jeuneafrique, https://www.jeuneafrique.com/692078/politique/cote-divoire-guillaume-soro-rend-visite-a-henri-konan-bedie-dans-son-fief-de-daoukro/ (accessed December 19, 2018).

9 BBC News, ‘Ivory Coast ex-President Gbagbo Acquitted at ICC Court in The Hague’, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46875757 (accessed January 15, 2019).

10 France 24, ‘Defiant Gbagbo Appoints Cabinet as UN Begins Withdrawal’, https://www.france24.com/en/20101207-ivory-coast-gbagbo-appoints-cabinet-un-withdraws-ouattara-obama-ecowas (accessed December 7, 2010).

11 CNN, ‘Ivory Coast president urges calm after Gbagbo is arrested’, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/11/ivory.coast.crisis/index.html (accessed April 11, 2011).

12 BBC News, ‘Ivory Coast ex-President Gbagbo Acquitted at ICC Court in The Hague’.

13 Anna Holligan, ‘Laurent Gbagbo Case: Ivory Coast Leader's Acquittal Rattles ICC Foundations’, BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46874517 (accessed January 15, 2019).

14 BBC World Service Africa, Ouattara calls for West African political union, https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-46774943 (accessed January 11, 2019).

15 Ibid.

16 Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission 2011-2014, ‘Country: Ivory Coast’, http://www.icla.up.ac.za/images/un/commissionsofinquiries/countries/Ivory-coast-Commission-of-Inquiries1.pdf (accessed January 25, 2019).

17 Interpeace, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: Commission on Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation inaugurated’, https://www.interpeace.org/2011/09/ivory-coast-commission-on-dialogue-truth-and-reconciliation-inaugurated/ (accessed September 30, 2011).

18 Human Rights Watch, ‘To Consolidate This Peace of Ours: A Human Rights Agenda for Côte d’Ivoire’, https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/12/08/consolidate-peace-ours/human-rights-agenda-cote-divoire#page (accessed December 8, 2015).

19 GRIP, ‘Commission for Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire: The Reconciliation Never Happened’, https://www.grip.org/en/node/1769 (accessed June, 29, 2015).

20 Human Rights Watch, ‘To Consolidate This Peace of Ours: A Human Rights Agenda for Côte d’Ivoire’, https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/12/08/consolidate-peace-ours/human-rights-agenda-cote-divoire#page (accessed December 8, 2015).

21 UN Human Rights, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: UN Independent Expert to Assess Human Rights Situation in the Country’, Office of the High Commissioner, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14240&LangID=E (accessed January 25, 2019).

22 Ibid.

23 GardaWorld, ‘Côte d'Ivoire Country Report’, https://www.garda.com/crisis24/country-reports/cote-divoire (accessed January 25, 2019).

24 Ibid.

25 UN Human Rights, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: UN Independent Expert to Assess Human Rights Situation in the Country’, Office of the High Commissioner, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14240&LangID=E (accessed January 25, 2019).

26 United Nations Human Rights, ‘UN Expert Highlights Challenges to National Reconciliation’, OHCHR | Côte d’Ivoire / Human Rights: UN expert highlights challenges to national reconciliation.

27 Ibid.

28 Louis-Marie Kakdeu, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: 7 conditions à remplir pour réussir la réconciliation nationale’, Libre Afrique, http://www.libreafrique.org/kakdeu-reconciliation-cote-ivoire-060116 (accessed January 6, 2016).

29 Ibid.

30 Association Sénégalaise des Editeurs, ‘Louis-Marie Kakdeu’, http://www.as-editeurs.org/auteur/louis-marie-kakdeu-0 (accessed January 25, 2019).

31 Louis-Marie Kakdeu, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: 7 conditions à remplir pour réussir la réconciliation nationale’, Libre Afrique, http://www.libreafrique.org/kakdeu-reconciliation-cote-ivoire-060116 (accessed January 6, 2016).

32 Ibid.

33 Ibid.

34 Janet Adama Mohammed, ‘Côte d’Ivoire: “We Can Have an Impact if We Work Small”’, Conciliation Resources, https://www.c-r.org/news-and-views/comment/c-te-d-ivoire-we-can-have-impact-if-we-work-small (accessed September, 2012).