Côte D'ivoire (Ivory Coast): Understanding and Solving the Ethno-Political Civil Conflict

The object of this paper is to analyse late President Felix Houphouët-Boigny's legacy and its management. Another focal point is the concept of Ivoirité, which precipitated the events that led Côte d'Ivoire to its present turmoil. The authors also raise posers about the future of Franco-Ivorian relations and horizontal ties of the country in the West African sub-region. Will Ivorian society remain the same? Will Ivorians cope and learn to live together in a country where every constituent ethnic 'bloc' has a sense of belonging? Will they be able to manage the peace and rise above ethnic differences or is it going to be a 'paix armée'? These issues, among others, are broached here for scholarly review.