Ivory Coast, Part 6

:January 25th:

I've been following this story since I got back from Kenya, almost nine weeks ago. If you haven't been following this story, here is what you missed: an election, an overwhelming victory, and an incumbent who will stop at nothing to keep his power. Though it not a simply matter as cleverly outlined, the truth is two candidates claim control over this Southern African country. If you want to catch up, check out the previous sections, one, two, three, four, and five. 

So, why should you choose to pay attention to this small country? What does Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), offer you in return for the troubles that are afflicted internally? Really, why should you care? Well, if we are going to be petty and minimalistic about it, Ivory Coast is one of the largest importers of cocoa, the third largest to be exact. By September 2011, it was projected that they will import 1.3 million metric tons. Sadly, this was until the election in November. If you like hot chocolate, fudge, chocolate ice cream, really, chocolate in general, there is a possibility prices may increase over this next period of time.

Now if we chose to move from frugal matters to something with depth, blood diamonds are making a comeback in Africa, most notably in Ivory Coast. These diamonds are used primarily for the building up of arms and funding civil conflicts, making it very similar to the incidents found in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Though almost all of the conflicts involving these diamonds are almost over, Ivory Coast remains the only gray area. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was created in 2003 to eliminate the atrocities caused by diamond mining, in order to reestablish stability in these countries. Their chairman, Stéphane Chardon, has been quite vocal about the usage and profiting of blood diamonds in ivory Coast. He has also stated that the best way to curtail the situation, has been to have the support and action of government officials. Since Ivory Coast is divided because of an election, we now have another problem.

This brings me to the next point, Alassane Ouattara, the guy who won the election, has asked supporters to back a ban on the exportation of cocoa by the Ivory Coast. Apparently, this will force the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo to resign and give up power because it will decrease his finances. The United States is now another country to back this mounting pressure on what the CS Monitor dubbed, "The Renegade President." This ban on the purchasing of Ivorian cocoa has caused the prices of cocoa to rise 14% since November; 4% since yesterday (Monday, January 24th). The fear for the major players in the cocoa industry are that if Quattara does come into power, they could lose their licenses as well as their reputations for dealing with an "administration seen as illegitimate by the world community."

Lastly, the role that Ivorian refugees play in the international community has brought about some fear, especially from neighboring, Ghana. Why would Ghana be afraid of refugees entering their country? Well, for two major reasons. First, these refugees put stress on Ghana's amenities, like schools and particularly, hospitals. Ivorians have a sizable percentage of people affected by AIDS/HIV, which brings about the possibility of communicable and transmittable diseases spreading rampantly. Second, Ghana's oil field borders the Ivory Coast and well, has been a target for attacks. Both countries rival each other for the sale and export of oil. Civil war in the Ivory Coast would be an excuse to eliminate any competition in order to have dominance in Southern Africa.

The election might be over, but so far, they are not out of the woods by a long shot.

:Update – January 26th:

Within twenty-four hours, new developments have emerged. Laurent Gbagbo, incumbent president, has ordered seizures of all banks in Ivory Coast. This is in response to Alassane Ouattara's ban on Ivorian exports of Cocoa. You see, Gbagbo knows that he is losing money so therefore he is resorting to stealing from federal currency. We also need to note that these banks have ties to other West and Central African countries, seriously, talk about burning bridges. And to make matters even more strenuous, Quattara has urged commandos, i.e., radical militants, to out the former president from his office. 

Seriously, twenty-four hours and it seems like the fire is really starting to engulf this area in tension and chaos. 

:Further Reading:

The Independent (UK)                                         Times (Live)                                                      Reuters (Africa)

Reuters (UK)                                                          Ghana Web (Ghana)

Washington Post                                                   Lusaka Times (Zambia)