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Socialist Democracy Nov - Dec 2002

Political Violence, Election Rigging ...

Ivory Coast Slides Into Civil War

Ivory Coast, the world largest producer of cocoa, has been plunged into a civil war. This followed a mutiny by soldiers opposed to the government of president Laurent Gbagbo. As at present , the 'rebels' are controlling the northern and central parts of the country.

Since the beginning of the crisis, many lives have been lost including that of former military president, Robert Guei. Thousands of people, particular foreign plantation workers, have been turned into refugees. It was widely reported that Guei was killed by troops loyal to the President Laurent Gbagbo for his alleged leadership role in the crisis.

For almost three decades after independence from France, Ivory Coast used to be viewed as a model of stability in the West African sub-region which is renown for military coups, civil wars and general political instability. But that was until 1999 when late Robert Guei overthrew Henri Bedie, the successor to Hoeuphet Boigny, the country's founding president, in a military coup. Before then, Boigny ruled the country for almost 33 years, that is 960 to 1993 when he died.

The present crisis could, however, be traced to the year 2000 presidential elections. The popular candidate then, Allasane Quattara, a former prime minister and a muslim from the northern part of the country, was barred from contesting by the then military president, late Robert Guei, based on the allegation that he was from Burkina Faso. His disqualification was not unconnected with the fact that late Robert Guei wanted to succeed himself by contesting the election. Since that time, the crisis in the country has increasingly assumed ethnic and religious dimension. However, the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, a christian from the southern part of the country, defeated Guei. An attempt by latter to declare himself the winner led to a mass uprising and the military dictator was forced to flee.

The crisis is similar to the June 12 crisis in Nigeria when the Babangida military junta annulled the presidential elections won by M.K.O. Abiola, a member of the capitalist ruling elite from the Yoruba south-west. The incident plunged Nigeria into political crisis and led to rise in ethnic conflicts. The break out of civil war along ethnic and religious line in Ivory Coast should serve as a warning to the Nigerian working people. It shows how the country can be plunged into interminable and fratricidal conflict when a so-called civilian capitalist government fails to solve the socio-economic crises facing society.

France and Nigeria have sent troops to the troubled country allegedly to protect their citizens and 'democracy'. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also vowed not to allow the 'rebels' to truncate civil rule and has resolved to send a military force to Ivory Coast to maintain "peace" and prevent the government of Laurent Gbagbo from being overthrown by the rebel soldiers.

Socialists oppose the sending troops to Ivory Coast by ECOWAS and the imperialist powers like France and US under the pretence of 'protecting' civil rule. It is only the working people of Ivory Coast themselves that can protect civil rule and solve the crisis facing the country. Imperialism and the Ivorien ruling class are only fighting to protect their own selfish economic and strategic interests in the country and the sub-region.

The labour movement in Ivory Coast should work to ensure that the working people, youth, students, etc, are not divided along ethnic and religious line or to support any of the warring factions of the ruling class. Instead, the working people should organise themselves and fight for economic and political demands that can unite the working masses. Above all, they need to struggle for the formation of an independent working people's party that will serve as a tool for fighting against capitalist attacks on the masses, for workers' unity and the transformation of society along socialist line through a workers' and poor peasants' government.

Continued ...