With a population of over twenty million people, Cote d'Ivoire (aka Ivory Coast, West Africa), has had it's fair share of struggles over the years. Ivory Coast gained their independence in 1960 and have been struggling to establish a working government ever since. December of 1999 was the first time in history Cote d'Ivoire overthrew their government. Immediately following that upheaval, Robert Guei rigged the first elections and made himself the leader. With the help of protesters, Laurent Gbagbo forced Guei out and took control.
Gbagbo has had no major problems until September of 2002, when Ivorian rebel forces, called New Force, tried to take control of the country. The rebels failed to throw Gbagbo out of power but, they did manage to claim the northern half of the country. Instead of continuing to fight, the rebels and President Gbagbo decided to jointly govern the country. In March of 2007, the rebel leader Guillaume Soro and President Gbagbo agreed to reunite the country, make a strong national army, and hold government elections. After this agreement, Soro became Prime Minister.
Now in 2010, President Gbagbo has dispersed the government and electoral commission and Prime Minister Soro has been asked to create a new government. These elections have been postponed over and over again since 2005. President Gbagbo accused the electoral commission of trying to bump up the numbers of voters by allowing people not from Cote d'Ivoire to be on the voter list. The question of who can vote ad who is classified as a legal Ivorian is sparking major protests from the millions of people who feel alienated.
Works Cited:
Wikipedia contributors. "Côte d'Ivoire." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010.
"Facts About Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire)." World Facts. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"Al Jazeera English - Africa - Ivory Coast government dissolved." Al Jazeera English - AJE. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.
"BBC News - Ivory Coast President Gbagbo dissolves government." BBC NEWS News Front Page. Web. 22 Feb. 2010.
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Strong introduction. What assumptions do you start with? How will using multiple sources perhaps reveal a deeper understanding of the geopolitical forces at work in Africa? How did the colonial period impact this region?
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