Ivory Coast: Waves of Change

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ― Leo Tolstoy

The Ivory Coast has been a land of turmoil for the last ten years as the country has been ripped apart by civil war.  The civil war has been fueled by a mix of geographical, political, ethnic, and religious differences.  Both sides has done unspeakable things in their misguided loyalty. People have been executed, homes and land destroyed, and a nation torn apart.  Both sides have a vision of the change that they want to see happen in their country, and it seems that many are willing to do anything to see it become a reality.  While many want to dictate the course of the nation, it seems that there are very few who are willing to change themselves.  Jesus calls us to die to ourselves and our desires and become like Him.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to become more than we could ever be on our own.  As we pray for the Christians in Cote d'Ivoire, let us ask that they be transformed by the power of God, and as they change themselves to become more like Him, may they change the course of their country as well. 
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Ivory Coast 

Basic Info: The country of Cote d'Ivoire is located in Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia.  It is slightly larger than New Mexico, and is mostly flat to undulating plains, with mountains in the northwest.  Most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region.  Apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated.  Of the 22,400,835 (July 2013 est.) population, about 51% is urban.  The literacy rate is 56.9% and child labor is 35%.  French is the official language, and there are 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken.  The major ethnic break down is Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998).  The country illegally produces cannabis, but it is mostly for local consumption.  Because of the political instability, narcotic transshipment to Europe has declined. Deforestation is a concern.  Most of the country's forests, once the largest in West Africa, have been heavily logged.  Due to the civil war from 2002-2004 and the post election conflicts in 2010-2011, the country has between 40,000-80,000 internally displaced persons, mostly in the western and southwestern regions.   As of 2012, there were also 700,000 stateless persons. Many Ivoirians lack documentation proving their nationality, which prevent them from accessing education and healthcare.  Since birth on Ivorian soil does not automatically result in citizenship, disputes over citizenship and the associated rights of the large population descended from migrants from neighboring countries is an ongoing source of tension and contributed to the country's 2002 civil war.  Some observers believe the government's mass naturalizations of thousands of people over the last couple of years is intended to boost its electoral support base.  The government in October 2013 acceded to international conventions on statelessness and in August 2013 reformed its nationality law, key steps to clarifying the nationality of thousands of residents.  

Government: After the country gained its independence in 1960, it continued to have close ties with France.  That along with foreign investment and the development of cocoa production for export made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous states in West Africa.  However, that prosperity did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert Guei blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent Gbagbo (a Christian) into power. Ivorian dissidents (mostly Muslims) and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002 that developed into a rebellion and then a civil war. The war ended in 2003 with a cease fire that left the country divided with the rebels holding the north, the government the south, and peacekeeping forces a buffer zone between the two. In March 2007, President Gbagbo and former New Forces rebel leader Guillaume Soro signed an agreement in which Soro joined Gbagbo's government as prime minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. Difficulties in preparing electoral registers delayed balloting until 2010. In November 2010, Alassane Dramane Ouattara won the presidential election over Gbagbo, but Gbagbo refused to hand over power, resulting in a five-month stand-off. In April 2011, after widespread fighting, Gbagbo was formally forced from office by armed Ouattara supporters with the help of UN and French forces. Several thousand UN peacekeepers and several hundred French troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to support the transition process. Ouattara is focused on rebuilding the country's infrastructure and military after the five months of post-electoral fighting and faces ongoing threats from Gbagbo supporters, many of whom have sought shelter in Ghana. Gbagbo is in The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.  The government is a republic, and although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center.  The US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan.

Economy: Cote d'Ivoire is heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, which engage roughly 68% of the population. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products, and, to a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Cocoa, oil, and coffee are the country's top export revenue earners, but the country is also producing gold. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, political turmoil has continued to damage the economy, resulting in the loss of foreign investment and slow economic growth. In late 2011, Cote d'Ivoire's economy began to recover from a severe downturn of the first quarter of the year that was caused by widespread post-election fighting. In June 2012, the IMF and the World Bank announced $4.4 billion in debt relief for Cote d'Ivoire under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Cote d'Ivoire's long-term challenges include political instability and degrading infrastructure.  About 42% of the population is below the poverty line.  The country is well-developed by African standards.  Their telecommunications sector was privatized in the late 1990s and operational fixed-lines have increased since that time.  Since there are multiple mobile-cellular service providers competing in the market, usage has increased sharply to roughly 80 per 100 persons.

Religion: Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est.) note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)

When mostly Muslim rebels (backed with foreign funds and arms) seized control of northern Ivory Coast in 2002, Christians, southerners and government supporters fled south for their lives.  As those fleeing included most of the northern Ivory Coast's doctors, nurses, professionals, administrators and teachers, living conditions in the north deteriorated.   Even now that the country has geographically been reunited, conflict is still ongoing.  This past May, two brothers were brutally crucified on “the example of Christ” as forces loyal to Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara continue to target perceived supporters of his ousted Christian predecessor, Laurent Gbagbo.  Raphael Aka Kouame died of his injuries; incredibly his younger brother, Kouassi Privat Kacou, survived the ordeal. The pair were badly beaten and tortured before being crudely nailed to cross-shaped planks.  

This is just one of the many atrocities that have been committed as fighting between Ouattara and Gbagbo supporters has continued in the wake of the disputed presidential election last November. Christians have been caught up in the conflict as perceived supporters of Gbagbo. Support for the two men is split broadly along geographical and religious lines, with the predominantly Muslim north largely backing Ouattara, a Muslim from that region, while support for Gbagbo, a Christian, comes from the mainly Christian south.  Human Rights Watch reported that Ouattara troops have killed at least 149 real or suspected Gbagbo supporters in Abidjan since the capture and arrest of the former president on 11 April. Of these, at least 95 were unarmed. The group believes the total number of non-combatants killed to be much higher, as many witnesses, largely from ethnic groups linked to former President Gbagbo, were too terrified to talk or had fled Abidjan during or following the violence.

Human Rights Watch also documented more than 220 killings by pro-Gbagbo troops against real and perceived Ouattara supporters when the republican forces swept through Abidjan between March 31 and the end of April, as fighting continued following Gbagbo's arrest. Amnesty International also warned, towards the end of last month, that reprisal attacks are still being committed by Ouattara’s forces. Statements collected by an Amnesty delegation indicated a systematic and targeted series of killings committed by uniformed republican forces, who executed hundreds of men on political and ethnic grounds.

Animism is still strong in Côte d’Ivoire, despite apparent numerical decline. Although evangelical congregations outnumber sacred fetish groves for the first time in the nation’s history, animism’s power remains unbroken and penetrates deep into the worldview and practices of both Christians and Muslims. Many believers are affected by the power of African traditional religion, especially through fetish charms and ancestor worship, compromising both their witness and their own life in Christ.

Info compiled from barnabasfund.org, CIAWorldFactBook "Cote d'Ivoire", ICC, Operation World
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