Until shortly before 2000, Côte d'Ivoire could lay claim to being the most prosperous and stable place in Francophone west Africa. The past 12 years have, however, seen that status eroded thanks to ethnic and political discord on such a scale that the country was even split in two for several years following an attempted coup in 2002.
Hopes that elections in late 2010 would finally bring an end to Côte d'Ivoire’s troubles were shattered when the president, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to accept defeat. A five-month stand-off ensued that all but led to a civil war, claiming 3000 lives, creating more than 1 million external and internal refugees, and devastating the economy.
