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IRIN Chronology of Key Events: December 1999-November 2002

KEY EVENTS: December 1999 Year 2000 Year 2001 Year 2002
Year 1999 23 Dec: Mutiny by soldiers demanding payment of allowances owed to them for peacekeeping duty in Central African Republic. 24-25 Dec: A former army chief of staff, Gen Robert Guei (1990-1995), announces the destitution of the government of President Henri Konan Bedie, the dissolution of parliament and other state organs, and the formation of the Comite national de salut publique (CNSP - National Public Salvation Committee). Leaders of the opposition Rassemblement des Republicains (RDR) detained since October are freed. Bedie is evacuated by the French military to Lome, Togo, before continuing on to Paris. Year 2000 4 Jan: New transitional government announced. The Front populaire ivoirien (FPI) withdraws in protest against what it sees as over-representation of the RDR in the cabinet. Two new posts are awarded to the FPI on 13 January. 31 Jan: The Commission consultative constitutionnelle et electoral (CCCE - Constitutional Electoral Consultative Commission) is inaugurated. 3 Feb: Five military officers are arrested on suspicion of plotting a coup d’etat. 28 Feb: Presentation to the CCCE of the conclusions of its sub-committee on the constitution, including conditions governing eligibility for election as president. According to the sub-committee, the president must be an Ivorian. His/her father AND mother must be Ivorian [called the ‘And option’]. He/she must never have had another nationality and has resided in the country for five years before the elections. Feb-Mar: The FPI and newspapers linked to it claim that national identity cards have been falsely issued to foreigners, and accuse the RDR of being involved. 8 Mar: Seven RDR militants are arrested by the CNSP’s crime squad after being accused in an anonymous letter of distributing false ID cards to foreigners. 11 Mar: RDR leader Alassane Dramane Ouattara denies that the RDR is involved in giving false ID cards to non-nationals. 14 Mar: The president of the Ligue ivoirienne des droits de l’homme (Ivorian Human Rights League) denounces in an open letter the “massive” issing of national ID cards to non-Ivorians and recommends that the authorities check all ID cards issued since 1990. 20 Mar: The PDCI, FPI and other parties call on the government, at a meeting in Abidjan, to end ID fraud which, they say, has reached “incredible proportions” and could “endanger the very existence of the Ivorian national community”. 28 Mar: Soldiers in the western town of Daloa demonstrate for salary increases, barricading themselves in their camp. Troops sent from Abidjan intervene. One soldier dies. 30 Mar: CCCE Chairman Matthieu Ekra presents the results of the commission’s work to Guei. 27 Apr: At a meeting with representatives of political parties and civil society, Guei proposes to modify the eligibity criteria to grant eligibility if a candidate’s mother OR father is Ivorian (called the OR option). 12 May: Guei announces election timetable. He announces that he has proof that the RDR is involved in agitation and that its members have threatened to commit crimes if there is no RDR candidate at the presidentials. 16 May: CNSP announces that political leaders need an authorisation to leave the country. 18 May: Cabinet reshuffle leaves the RDR with one representative in the cabinet. The FPI keeps its six portfolios, two members of the PDCI join the government. The RDR withdraws its representative. 26 May: The draft constitution is published. Eligibility criteria proposed by the CCCE’s constitution sub-committee are retained except that the AND Option is replaced by the OR Option. 27 May: The Conseil superieur des imams (Higher Council of Imams) complains that security forces have been abusively withdrawing ID cards from Muslims and sometimes destroying them. 31 May: Ouattara calls on his supporters to vote “Yes” at the constitutional referendum, while deploring the fact that the draft contains certain “ambiguities and incoherences” relating to the eligibility issue. 3 June: Cote d’Ivoire’s bishops warn at their plenary assembly that the spectre of civil war looms over the country. 9-10 June: PDCI and FPI calls for a “Yes” vote at the referendum on the constitution, and for a return to the AND Option. 18 June: Taditional chiefs from northern Cote d’Ivoire, linked in an association headed by Ouattara’s brother, Gaoussou Ouattara, warn against any attempt to deprive Ouattara of his Ivorian nationality and his right to run for president, saying that this would be “disguised ethnic cleansing”. Alassane Ouattara, they say, is a born Ivorian, as are his parents. 22 Jun: Military and CNSP officials deny rumours of a coup plot. 4-5 Jul: Mutiny by soldiers demanding payment for their participation in the December 1999 coup d’etat. Guei hints that the RDR was behind the mutiny which, he claims, was really a coup d’etat. 7 Jul: Demonstrations are banned. 11 Jul: Military prosecutor announces the arrest of 35 soldiers, including 8 officers, in connection with the mutiny. 12 Jul: Four RDR officials are arrested in connection with the mutiny and released on 14 July. 17 Jul: The government announces that both parents of a presidential candidate need to be born Ivorians (AND Option). 24 Jul: Referendum on the constitution. ‘Yes’ votes: 86.53%; participation: 56% 29 Jul: The requirement that political leaders need an authorisation to leave the country is lifted. 1 Aug: The new constitution is promulgated. 4 Aug: The trial begins of 45 soldiers arrested in connection with the July mutiny. 10 Aug: Cote d’Ivoire’s main political leaders agree, at a meeting in the capital, Yamoussoukro with Presidents Mathieu Kerekou of Benin and Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo to form a government of national unity whatever the outcome of the presidential election. 13-19 Aug: Various parties, including the FPI, PDCI and RDR announce their presidential candidates. Guei’s candidature is also announced. 28 Aug: Three deaths and a number of disappearances are reported following new clashes between Kroumen and Burkinabe in southwest Cote d’Ivoire, this time in Grand-Bereby, an area between the towns of Tabou and San Pedro. In November 1999, similar clashes had taken place between the two groups in Tabou, on the border with Liberia. 4 Sep: Six presidential guards detained since 1 September are charged with endangering the security of the state. The six are reportedly close to Master Sergeant Ibrahim Coulibaly, known as I.B, a former bodyguard of Ouattara’s children. 8 Sep: New clashes between Kroumen and Burkinabe in the southwest. Many deaths are reported. More than 1,000 Burkinabe seek refuge in San Pedro. 18 Sep: A group of soldiers attack Guei’s residence in Abidjan. Two loyalist soldiers are killed. The minister of communication indirectly accuses the RDR, which denies the accusation. About 20 members of the presidential guard are arrested. 22 Sep: Cabinet reshuffle: two CNSP members reputedly close to the RDR, generals Abdoulaye Coulibaly and Lassana Palenfo, lose their posts. 25 Sep: The heads of state of seven countries - Algeria, Burkina Faso, Djibouti. Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Togo - travel to Abidjan and propose solutions for ending the crisis: withdrawal of Guei’s candidature; the formation of a transitional council; the possibility for all candidates to run for president. The CNSP rejects the proposals on 26 September. 26 Sep: The CNSP issues a communique accusing Palenfo and Coulibaly of being involved in the 18 September attack on Guei’s residence. The homes of the two men are searched. They fled earlier to the Nigerian embassy. 28 Sep: Military prosecutor Capt Ange Kessy announces that formal charges have been laid against Palenfo and Coulibaly. 4 Oct: A state of emergency is imposed 6 Oct: The head of the Supreme Court announces that the Court has rejected all but five candidates, including those put forward by the PDCI and RDR. The five approved are Guei, Gbagbo and three minor candidates. 7 Oct: Ouattara says the decisions of the Supreme Court strips the elections of all legitimacy. He calls on RDR militants not to disturb the peace. 9 Oct: Local authorities disclose that four Burkinabe were shot dead and their throats slit in Grand-Bereby on 5-6 October. The state of emergency is extended to 13 Oct. 12 Oct: In response to a call for a boycott of the election, launched from exile by Bedie, the PDCI decides not to participate in the elections. However, some PDCI officials back Guei. The RDR calls for a peaceful boycott. 17 Oct: The CNSP accuses the RDR of recruiting mercenaries to commit acts of banditry in Abidjan neighbourhoods and overthrow the government before the elections. 18 Oct: FPI denounces the risk of electoral fraud and asks the national electoral commission for a detailed voters list so as to cross-check the results The Conseil national islamique (National Islamic Council) calls on Muslims to stay indoors on 22 October, and use the day for prayer, fasting and reflection. It also denounces the “systematic rejection of all Muslim candidates” by the Supreme Court. 22 Oct: Presidential elections are held. 23 Oct: The electoral commission, after releasing some results, suspends the operation, saying it would resume the following day. 24 Oct: The commission releases results that show Gbagbo in the lead, then suspends the announcements. Its head is kidnapped. Guei appears on TV and declares himself president. Gbagbo calls on all "democrats" to take to the streets. Civilians and the army clash in several parts of Abidjan. 25 Oct: Civilians and the army clash again. Many civilians die, sustain wounds or are arrested. Guei flees Abidjan by helicopter. Gbagbo announces that he is the new president. 26 Oct: RDR demonstrators demand a re-run of the elections and clash with FPI supporters, gendarmes and police. Several people are killed or wounded. Gbagbo is sworn in as president. 27 Oct: Gbagbo names Pascal Affi N'guessan, a former minister under Guei, as prime minister. 28 Oct: 57 dead bodies are discovered in bushes in Yopougon, a district of Abidjan. The crime is imputed to the gendarmerie. 1 Dec: The Supreme Court rejects Ouattara’s candidature for legislative elections. 4-5 Dec: Violence breaks out once again as the military put down RDR protests against Ouattara’s exclusion. The RDR reports at least 30 deaths. 10 Dec: Elections are held for 196 out of 225 seats in parliament. The polls are postponed in 29 northern constituencies. Results are proclaimed on 13 December: FPI - 96 seats; PDCI - 77 seats; independents - 16 seats; Parti Ivoirien des Travailleurs (PIT) - four seats. Three other parties obtain 1 seat each. The abstention rate is 66.88%. Year 2001 7-8 Jan: Armed men attack the national TV station, the Agban gendarmerie camp and Gbagbo's house. The government announces that it has foiled a coup attempt and accuses neighbouring countries of being involved. 14 Jan: Legislative elections are held in 29 northern constituencies. Despite an RDR boycott, electors vote in some RDR candidates. The final result of the legislatives is: FPI (96 seats); PDCI (94); RDR (5); PIT (4); independents (22); other parties (2). 24-25 Mar: All major parties participate in local government elections. The RDR gains control of the largest number of councils, followed by the PDCI and the FPI in that order. 30 May: The European Union proposes "a progressive and gradual resumption" of its cooperation with Cote d'Ivoire, frozen following the misappropriation in 1998 of EU aid to the health sector. This marks the beginning of improved relations with international agencies. 11 July: Ivorian diplomat Amara Essy is elected secretary-general of the Organisation for African Unity, now the African Union. 7 Aug: After a one-month trial, a tribunal acquits eight gendarmes accused of the Yopougon massacre. 8 Oct: A national reconciliation forum aimed at easing socio-political tensions begins in Abidjan. Participants include political parties and civil society. 15 Oct: Ex-president Bedie returns after 20 months in exile in France. 19 Nov: The IMF agrees to discuss a three year economic programme with the government. 13 Dec: National reconciliation forum ends. A steering committee publishes 14 recommendations, including the delivery of a certificate of nationality to Ouattara. Year 2002 10 Jan: Bedie, Gbagbo, Ouattara and Guei meet in the capital, Yamoussoukro, to discuss the results of the reconciliation forum. 1 Feb: World Bank resumes economic cooperation after government pays arrears. 3 Apr: IMF approves $366 million for three-year poverty-reduction programme. 31 May: Six men are sentenced to up to 20 years in connection with the January 2001 coup attempt. Seven others are acquitted. 27 Jun: Political tension increases as local council elections approach. FPI and RDR supporters clash in Daloa, 400 km west of Abidjan. Five people are killed. A market is burnt. 30 Jun: A judge delivers a certificate of nationality to Alassane Ouattara. His supporters describe this as a victory. His detractors cry foul. 7 Jul: Tension runs high as regional elections take place. The FPI and PDCI each win 18 councils, the RDR 10 and UDPCI, 3. 1 Aug: UDPCI general secretary Balla Keita, is killed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 6 Aug: Gbagbo reshuffles his cabinet, including the RDR for the first time. The new cabinet has ministers from the FPI (20); PDCI (7); RDR (4); PIT (2); UDPCI (1), and three from civil society. 9 Sep: Police raid Mayama Editions, publishers of two dailies close to the RDR, Le Patriote and Tassouman, in reaction to a report carried by Tassouman. 13 Sep: Guei rejects the UDPCI’s cabinet slot. He calls a press conference, accuses Gbagbo of not respecting his commitments and announces that his party has broken ties with the FPI. 19 Sep: Heavy shooting breaks out in Abidjan. The government says a coup attempt was foiled and accuses Guei of being behind it. Guei, his wife and members of his entourage are killed. Accusations are also levelled at Burkina Faso. At least 400 people are killed, including Boga Doudou. Army mutineers take over the hinterland towns of Bouake and Korhogo. They later announce the formation of an insurgent group, the Mouvement patriotique de Cote d’Ivoire (MPCI - Cote d’Ivoire Patriotic Movement ) 22 Sep: Humanitarian agencies say at least 5,000 people are displaced and hundreds of shanties are burnt down by security forces in Abidjan; Ouattara's house is set on fire. 24 Sep: Ouattara, who has sought refuge at the French Ambassador’s residence, tells a French newspaper that the soldiers who killed Guei had also been after him. Loyalist troops launch an unsuccessful offensive on Bouake. 27 Sep: French troops evacuate some 1,200 foreigners from Bouake. 30 Sep: ECOWAS sets up a six-member mediation group to help resolve the Ivorian crisis. 2 Oct: Youths from various political parties and pressure groups hold a peaceful rally in Abidjan to denounce the rebellion. 4-8 Oct: An initial ECOWAS mediation attempt fails. Fighting breaks out in Bouake. People start fleeing rebel-held areas. An inter-agency assessment mission to Bouake finds that at least 100 people flee Bouake each day. Some West African migrants return home or go to third countries. This movement continues throughout October and November. 14 Oct: Loyalist forces recapture Daloa 48 hours after it is taken by rebels; The number of people fleeing Bouake rises to 2,500 a day. 16 Oct: Government denies rebel claims that Angolan troops have been fighting alongside loyalist forces; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello expresses concern at the deterioration of the situation in Cote d'Ivoire. 17 Oct: Reporters sans Frontieres and the Committee to Protect Journalists express concern about attacks on journalists and media houses. 17 Oct: Rebels sign cease-fire agreement, which is accepted by the government. French troops are to monitor the ceasefire until the arrival of a West African buffer force. 22 Oct: Demonstrators stage a violent protest outside the French military base in Port-Bouet, Abidjan, demanding that the French authorities hand over Ouattara. French troops use tear-gas to disperse them. 24 Oct: Amnesty International reports human rights abuses, including executions, by security forces and insurgents in Cote d’Ivoire; ECOWAS designates Togo’s President Gnassingbe Eyadema to lead talks between the MPCI and government. 30 Oct: The talks begin in Lome, Togo. 31 Oct: The two sides reach agreement on professional demands by the insurgents. 1 Nov: Further agreement is reached, including a promise by the government to submit a draft amnesty bill to parliament. 8-15 Nov: UN agencies start setting up offices inYamoussoukro to improve their capacity to reach vulnerable populations in rebel-held areas. 11 Nov: The abduction and killing in Abidjan of the brother of a senior member of the rebel MPCI casts a shadow over talks in Togo. 18 Nov: An advance team of ECOWAS peacekeepers arrives in Abidjan. 20 Nov: Gbagbo announces he is ready to hold a referendum on the country's constitution, whose amendment has been demanded by the rebels. 27 Nov: The armed forces accuse the rebels of violating the ceasefire around Vavoua, north of Daloa. The rebels deny the claim. The spokesman of the French buffer force denies any knowledge of the alleged violation. The Ivorian military, supported - according to the French military spokesman - by white and black foreigners - launch an offensive on Vavoua. 28 Nov: Two new groups, the Mouvement populaire ivoirien du Grand Ouest (MPIGO) and the Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix (MJP) launch attacks on two western towns, Danane and Man respectively. Danane, located near the Liberian border, is home to tens of thousands of Liberian refugees. There are reports of people crossing the border to Liberia. [Sources: IRIN reports; AFP; Fraternite Matin]

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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