Disputes - international:
in September 2005, Costa Rica took its case before the ICJ to
advocate the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa
Rican vessels using the Rio San Juan over which Nicaragua retains
sovereignty
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 9,470 (Colombia) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America;
illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic
cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Cote d'Ivoire
Introduction Cote d'Ivoire
Background:
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of
cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote
d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states,
but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a
military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history -
overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged
elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular
protest forced him to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent
GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the
military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel
forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003
were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the
auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and
rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December
2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the
civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remain
unresolved. The central government has yet to exert control over the
northern regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and
opposition leaders. Several thousand French and West African troops
remain in Cote d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the
disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation process.
Geography Cote d'Ivoire
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana
and Liberia