2010–2011 Ivorian crisis | ||||||||
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Belligerents | ||||||||
Gbagbo forces
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Ouattara forces
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International forces |
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Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
Laurent Gbagbo |
Alassane Ouattara Guillaume Soro |
Choi Young-jin (United Nations) | ||||||
Strength | ||||||||
Unknown | Unknown (New Forces) | 10,000 (United Nations) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | ||||||||
44–61 security forces killed | 50+ killed (RDR) 2 killed (FN) 2 killed, 16 wounded (UNOCI) |
1000-1,500+ civilians killed and 100 missing overall, one million civilians fled since disputed election |
Anti-Gbagbo victory
Gbagbo forces
Ouattara forces
International forces
The 2010–11 Ivorian crisis was a political crisis in Ivory Coast which began after Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Ivory Coast since 2000, was proclaimed the winner of the Ivorian election of 2010, the first election in the country in 10 years. The opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara, and a number of countries, organisations and leaders worldwide claimed Ouattara had won the election. After months of attempted negotiation and sporadic violence, the crisis entered a decisive stage as Ouattara's forces began a military offensive in which they quickly gained control of most of the country and besieged key targets in Abidjan, the country's largest city. International organizations have reported numerous human rights violations, and the UN undertook its own military action with the stated objective to protect itself and civilians.
A significant step in bringing an end to the crisis occurred on 11 April 2011 upon the capture and arrest of Gbagbo in Abidjan by pro-Ouattara forces backed by French forces.
On 2 December 2010, Youssouf Bakayoko, head of the Ivorian Commission Electorale Indépendante (CEI), announced provisional results showing that Alassane Ouattara had won the Ivorian election of 2010 in the second round with 54.1% of the vote, against 45.9% for Laurent Gbagbo; he reported that turnout was 81.09%. Results had been expected and then postponed for days, beyond the deadline, and Bakayoko's appearance to announce the results—at an Abidjan hotel heavily guarded by the UN—took the press by surprise. Bakayoko reportedly chose to announce the results at the hotel, which Ouattara had been using as "his base", because he wanted to have the security of UN protection when doing so.According to the 2003 Peace Accords signed in the suburbs of Paris, the majority of the CEI must consist of politicians of the opposition (Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire – African Democratic Rally and Rally of the Republicans).