X. THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The conflict in Côte d'Ivoire has damaged relations with many of the country's neighbors and with nations further afield. Perhaps the most difficult relations are with Burkina Faso, which is blamed by Ivorian public opinion for the attacks, and whose nationals have been portrayed through the media as "assailants" and have been arbitrarily arrested or killed. Other immigrant populations within Côte d'Ivoire, especially those from Mali, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have also been victimized.

France, the former colonial power in Côte d'Ivoire, which has retained strong links with all the governments in power since independence, has also been singled out for popular criticism. President Gbagbo has criticized the West, and France in particular, for not providing military assistance to help fight against the attacks. France has a military cooperation pact with Côte d'Ivoire that has not been invoked, though France has apparently doubled its normal military presence since the attacks in September.⁴⁸ The Ivorian government has asked France to establish and monitor a buffer zone until ECOWAS is ready to do so. The French government sent 900 soldiers to "ensure the safety of the 20,000 French residents in Côte d'Ivoire." French Colonel Christian Baptiste told AFP that the situation had evolved once mediation efforts failed. He added: "Our mission of ensuring safety is all the more current now and we are closely examining areas of potential danger."⁴⁹

ECOWAS has been mediating in the conflict, and managed to secure a cease-fire agreement between the two sides that came into effect on October 16. Peace negotiations are currently underway in Lomé. Army chiefs of staff from ECOWAS member countries will make recommendations to their foreign ministers on the deployment of a regional force. However, this proposed initiative has generated hostility within the Ivorian government, which prefers to solve the conflict internally. There have been many pro-government demonstrations against the use of an ECOWAS force.

The U.S. State Department has made it clear that "any authority that issues from an overthrow would not be accorded legitimacy by the United States." Before the September attacks, Côte d'Ivoire was under scrutiny and subject to U.S. sanctions imposed as a result of the 1999 military coup. However, according to the State Department, "over the past six months, we have been proceeding toward developing a more normal relationship with Côte d'Ivoire given the political and economic progress it has been making." The State Department is currently encouraging the ECOWAS peace initiative as the "best way out of the present crisis."⁵⁰

Following the election violence of late 2000, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed an international commission of inquiry to investigate human rights abuses. The report of the commission was submitted to the secretary-general and the Ivorian government in late May 2001, and was made public two months later. In its recommendations, the report focuses on the fight against impunity; compensation for victims or their relatives; the fight against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; the security forces; technical assistance; and national reconciliation. On the question of impunity, the report stated: "As the commission has underscored throughout its report, the fight against the longstanding culture of impunity within the security forces must constitute a top priority for the Ivorian authorities. Those persons believed to be responsible for human rights violations must be punished, regardless of their function or rank, on the basis of in depth and impartial investigations and fair trials."⁵¹ These recommendations remain equally valid today.

In January 2001, the European Union (E.U.) decided to hold consultations with Côte d'Ivoire under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, the human rights conditionality clause of the agreement governing relations with the African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) group of countries. Normal relations were restored in early 2002, following a process of "national reconciliation" commenced in October 2001. The E.U. has condemned "the violence which has been directed in Côte d'Ivoire against a legitimate government and deplores the loss of human life it has caused," and reaffirmed a "commitment to a political solution including all the parties involved."⁵² It has not, however, commented on abuses by the government of Côte d'Ivoire.

48 "France demands end to Ivorian attacks," news.bbc.co.uk, October 23, 2002.

49 "Tentative de coup d'Etat du 19 septembre 2002. Refus de cessez-le-feu, la France durcit le ton à l'égard de Gbagbo. `Plus que jamais notre mission de sécurisation est d'actualité et nous regardons de très près les zones de danger potentiel.'" AFP quoted in Le Jour, October 8, 2002.

50 Statement made by Mark Bellamy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, quoted in Washington File, October 28, 2002.

51 Commision D'Enquéte Internationale pour la Côte D'Ivoire, "Côte D'Ivoire: Rapport de la Commission D'Enquéte Internationale pour la Côte D'Ivoire, Février-Mai 2001," July 19, 2001, Published by the United Nations, p. 2.

52 "Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the events in Cote d'Ivoire," September 24, 2002.