For the first time in months the people of the Ivory Coast have seen a glimpse of peace and stability, after former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo was captured by French and UN forces on Monday. Gbagbo refused to step down after the results of the controversial presidential election last November recognised him as the election loser to Alassane Ouattara.
Gbagbo’s refusal to step down triggered a post-electoral crisis where violent conflicts between supporters of each side claimed more than 1000 lives and uprooted up to a million people. This civil violence and turmoil comes after close to a decade of civil war between northern and southern parts of the Ivory Coast, stemmed from ethnic tensions and discrimination.
While the country’s new leader Ouattara is promising this event will turn a painful page in his country’s troubled history, the Ivorian people have a long way to go before these recent events can become a distant memory. Issues such as longstanding ethnic divisions, years of economic stagnation and a worsening humanitarian crisis still need to be addressed.
A young Ivorian refugee in a queue for registration on the Liberian border
