WAR, said Carl von Clausewitz, is politics by other means. In Ivory Coast, the country at the heart of Francophone West Africa, so too is mutiny. On January 6th soldiers seized Bouaké, the second largest city in the country. Over the weekend they briefly kidnapped the country’s defence minister and shooting was heard in Abidjan, the commercial capital.
Purportedly, the dispute was about soldiers’ pay. On January 8th, having been promised generous bonuses, the soldiers returned to their barracks. Alassane Ouattara, the president, sacked the army and police chiefs. However, many Ivorians found the timing of the mutiny suspicious. It came a few days before Mr Ouattara dissolved his government in anticipation of implementing a new constitution.
In economic terms, Ivory Coast has in recent years been one of Africa’s star performers. Between 2012 and 2015 its GDP grew at an average rate of 8.5% per year. Abidjan’s crumbling 1970s brutalist skyline has been transformed by a wave of foreign projects. New offices, malls, a Heineken brewery and various factories have sprouted. This is largely thanks to the policies of Mr Ouattara, an...Continue reading
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