Yearbook 2017
Ivory Coast. In early January, Daniel Kablan Duncan resigned as head of government, after which he was named vice president. New Prime Minister became the President’s former adviser Amadou Gon Coulibaly. In the following government transformation, Marcel Amon Tanoh became new foreign minister and Adama Koné new finance minister. On several other heavy items, the sitting minister was allowed to remain. According to Countryaah.com, the total number of ministers decreased from 35 to 28. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for frequently used acronyms and abbreviations related to as well as country profile of Ivory Coast.
Dissatisfaction among the country’s soldiers led several times to rebellion and mutiny. In January, soldiers in Bouaké revolted in the middle of the country and the uprising then spread to several other cities, including Abidjan, where soldiers took control of the army headquarters. The government succeeded in calming down the situation by giving in to the soldiers’ demands for salary increases, better housing and faster promotions. The prospect of better conditions prompted paramilitary forces in several parts of the country to conduct similar protests in the same month. In May, the soldiers claimed that the promised pay raises had not come true, which in turn led to mutiny. Firing was reported from several cities, including Bouaké and Abidjan. In most cases, it was probably soldiers who shot in the air to show their displeasure, but in Bouaké, one person was killed and several civilians injured. The myth was broken after a few days after the soldiers and the government agreed on a new salary agreement.
In February, soldiers revolted in an elite federation responsible for the president’s security. The upset was that the soldiers had only received portions of their pay and they accused their commanders of stealing most of the money. After negotiations with the government, it was promised that the remaining money would be paid out in the middle of the month. In the surge of riots, six journalists, including three newspaper owners, were arrested accused of spreading false information and thereby encouraging the soldiers to revolt. Some of those arrested are working for Notre Voie magazine, which has close ties to the opposition party Ivorian People’s Front (FPI), while others may be linked to Le Temps, who has questioned Alassane Ouattara’s legitimacy as president. The journalists were released after three days.
In July, the Reconciliation and Compensation Commission (RCC) was closed. The RCC’s task was to identify the victims of the protracted conflict in the Ivory Coast country and to pay damages, which only happened to 5,000 people. The tasks were transferred to the Solidarity Parliament.
In September, the International Maritime Law Court (ITLOS) announced its ruling in the drawn-out border dispute between Ivory Coast and Ghana. The court’s decision was in Ghana’s favor, something both countries announced that they intended to respect.
The conflict has involved a sea area with oil and gas deposits. The question has been where the border between the countries’ economic zones goes and by extension where they have the right to extract natural resources. In anticipation of the court ruling, Ghana has, against the Ivory Coast’s wish, been allowed to continue with ongoing extraction in the area.
In September, President Ouattara’s party held a Republican Assembly (RDR) congress. Ouattara’s decision not to run for the party leader post aroused some surprise and was seen as a sign that he does not intend to stand in the 2020 presidential election. which many see as Ouattara’s “crown prince”, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly.
