For more than 30 years after gaining independence, Côte d’Ivoire seemed a model of national harmony - an island of stability on a troubled continent. With a functioning democracy, and possessed of one of the most developed economies in the region, Côte d’Ivoire once shone a beacon of success out over Africa. Yet in September 2002, Ivorian society split across underlying ethnic and religious fault lines. A full-scale rebellion broke out, focused in the north of the country - a predominately Muslim region, in contrast to the mainly Christian south.

Genuine surprise was felt in Africa and around the world as the nation fell into civil war. The fighting provoked a humanitarian crisis, which has had economic repercussions throughout the region. Thousands of expatriate workers returned home - an exodus, which resulted in poor countries losing remittance earnings. The CFA franc, the currency shared by most French-speaking West African

countries, was hard-hit, with investment and confidence across the entire region badly damaged. A severe blow was dealt to the nation's prestige when the African Development Bank (ADB), a trophy of peace and stability, moved, as a temporary measure, in March 2003 from its headquarters in Côte d’Ivoire's first city, Abidjan, to Tunisia.

THE SEEDS OF RESENTMENT
The causes of the recent conflict are deep-seated. Most notable among these is the long-term exclusion of a significant proportion of the population from political representation and, correspondingly, from the benefits of the country's viable economy. The failure of the Ivorian government to maintain an inclusive society, the readiness of disgruntled factions to choose the bullet over the ballet box, and the inability of African and international organizations to take effective action to end the bloodshed, all echo past failures on the continent.