The Help That Côte d'Ivoire Needs

The tragic loss of life amid the escalating crisis in Côte d'Ivoire requires urgent action by all people of goodwill. The democratically elected government of Côte d'Ivoire shares the desire for a peaceful solution of all those seeking to help Ivorians, together with their African neighbors, to end the bloodshed. President Laurent Gbagbo believes that lasting peace and security can be achieved only on the basis of the guiding principles of the African Union: the rule of law, good governance, strong civil society and a democratic process in which political change is pursued at the ballot box. Efforts to end the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire through band-aid solutions that inadvertently reward violence will only provide an incentive for further cycles of violence.

The conflict in Côte d'Ivoire hit the international headlines last weekend after a government offensive against rebel strongholds in the north of the country saw nine French troops and a U.S. citizen accidentally killed during an air raid on Bouake. France responded with military and diplomatic actions that have inflamed the anger of many Ivorians, despite calls for calm by President Laurent Gbagbo, who has expressed deep regret over the unintended casualties. The crisis, however, long predates the military operations in Bouake and elsewhere in the north. Those operations were not an aggression on the part of the government; they were an act of preemptive self-defense provoked by the rebels' systematic flouting of their obligations under the Linas-Marcoussis (LM) and Accra III accords, and their preparations for a new offensive.

Preempting a Tragedy

Accra III had set October 15 as the deadline for unconditional disarmament by the rebel Forces Nouvelles, yet there has been no such disarmament to date. The government has repeatedly warned that the rebels' failure to disarm was an intolerable breach of the agreements - a complaint echoed by the United Nations, the African Union and the United States. The armed forces of the Côte d'Ivoire deemed preemptive action a necessary and prudent response after receiving information that the Forces Nouvelles were amassing weapons for a new attack on the capital. France, moreover, was given advance warning of the government's plan to attack rebel formations in the north, and their response to the tragic loss of their soldiers has been disproportionate, provocative and irresponsible in that it incited further waves of violence that took the lives of dozens more Ivorians.

The internationally-recognized elected government of Côte d'Ivoire is constitutionally mandated to protect the country's citizens and sovereignty. Like any other sovereign government, it cannot tolerate the presence of unofficial military formations within its national borders. The democratic principles of the African Union, and friends of Africa in the West, cannot be sustained if violence is allowed to serve as an effective route to political power for any faction capable of fielding a militia.

A Pattern of Violations

The purpose of Accra III was to create political arrangements to facilitate the disarmament of rebel formations, and deepen Ivorian democracy to ensure a voice for all sections of society. The violation of the cease-fire mandated by Accra III, and the earlier LM agreement, did not begin with the Bouake attack; it began with the rebels consistent refusal to honor the disarmament obligations to which they had committed themselves by signing those accords. The government has sought repeatedly to draw regional and international attention to the intolerable violations on the part of the rebels; when those violations reached the point of threatening a new putsch, the government was forced to act.

The French intervention in reaction to the loss of its soldiers in the course of the government offensive has inflamed the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, resulting in a deplorable outpouring of hostile behavior directed against the French and other foreigners. President Gbagbo has condemned such behavior and urged restraint upon his people despite their anger at the actions taken by France.

Going the Extra Mile

Recognizing the dangers posed by the escalation of the past week, President Gbagbo has called off the armed forces' offensive against rebel strongholds, and has reiterated his readiness to go the extra mile in search of a peaceful solution.

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, who this week traveled to Côte d'Ivoire on behalf of the leaders of the African Union in order to mediate the crisis, has commended President Gbagbo for his "commitment ... to implement in full Marcoussis and Accra III so that Ivory Coast can go through a transitional process." President Mbeki affirmed President Gbagbo's willingness to cooperate with efforts to seek a peaceful solution, which are now being pursued at talks in South Africa.

Government reforms

As the leaders of the African Union have emphasized, the framework for a peaceful solution remains the LM and Accra III accords. Of course, those accords require substantial political reforms on the part of the government of Côte d'Ivoire: Some 16 pieces of reform legislation were proposed in the LM agreement, 7 of which have been adopted, 5 of which are under consideration in parliament and 3 are awaited by the Council of Ministers. Legislation on the conditions for eligibility to stand for president requires a constitutional change which cannot simply be legislated by the government of the day --- it requires a national referendum, which can be held only once the territorial integrity of Côte d'Ivoire has been restored.

Still, the government of Côte d'Ivoire has acted in good faith and made substantial progress towards implementing its political obligations under the LM and Accra III accords. It remains ready to return to the negotiating table at any time to discuss means of accelerating and advancing the implementation of the reforms mandated by those accords, in order that free and transparent elections can be held by the constitutionally-mandated deadline of October 2005.

Most importantly, however, Accra III requires that government reform be undertaken in the context of immediate and unconditional disarmament by the rebels, an obligation that has not been met.

French Chagrin Threatens African Mediation Effort

Despite the efforts of the African Union to resolve the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, France has now sought to take the matter out of Africa's hands by proposing UN Security Council sanctions against the government of Côte d'Ivoire. France is pursuing its own diplomatic course despite the pleas of President Thabo Mbeki and other African Union leaders that their mediation efforts be given more time to take effect. Whatever its reasons, Paris's quest for Security Council sanctions against Abidjan may now be subverting, rather than facilitating a solution in Côte d'Ivoire. It therefore behooves all friends of Côte d'Ivoire, and of Africa, in the Security Council to restrain France and avoid subverting African diplomacy. Yes, the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire must be addressed. But it must be addressed, first and foremost, by the African Union, and in such a way that it brings lasting security to the troubled nation.

A Test for Africa and its Friends

"I have always considered, by culture and religious conviction, that war is a bad thing," President Gbagbo told his people earlier this week. "That is why I have unreservedly adhered to all the peace accords signed here in Ivory Coast between the rebellion and the national armed forces, or signed in friendly countries between political forces."

The standoff in Côte d'Ivoire is not simply a crisis for the country's own future, but also for the African Union and the principles by which it aims to seek African solutions to African problems. Côte d'Ivoire needs the help of all people of goodwill not simply in cooling the immediate crisis, but in staying the difficult course towards a solution that can mark a new beginning.