COTE D IVOIRE: Year in Brief 2005 - A chronology of key events

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

DAKAR, 11 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - Despite international pressure and a flurry of African Union mediation efforts, 2005 saw little progress in ending the crisis that divided Cote d’Ivoire more than three years ago, with rebels in control of the north and the government holding the south.

The following is a chronology of key events.

8 Jan 2005 - South African President Thabo Mbeki briefs the African Union (AU) on his mediation efforts to break the stalemate and convince rebel ministers to return to the government of national reconciliation. Mbeki was appointed AU mediator in the conflict in November 2004 after a flare-up of fighting.

31 Jan 2005 - The United Nations confirms it has drawn up a list of personalities accused of human rights abuses in Cote d'Ivoire who could eventually face trial, but UN chief Kofi Annan says the names remain secret in order not to jeopardise any future legal action. The list is not published in 2005.

2 Feb 2005 - The UN Security Council tightens an arms embargo on Cote d'Ivoire. The resolution gives more than 10,000 UN and French peacekeepers the powers to search cargo at any sea port, airfield, military base and border crossing.

28 Feb 2005 - Pro-government militia attack a rebel outpost on the western frontline, leaving at least 15 dead. UN peacekeepers subsequently arrest 87 assailants, including several children, and hand them over to authorities.

9 March 2005 - A pro-government militia group finally leaves school grounds in the Abidjan neighbourhood of Adjame that it had occupied illegally for months. The fighters were accused of extortion and bullying by residents and Ivorian police.

6 Apr 2005 - President Laurent Gbagbo and the rebels sign a new peace deal brokered by President Mbeki known as the Pretoria agreement. The warring factions declare an immediate end to hostilities. But a key outstanding issue of whether controversial opposition leader Alassane Ouattara will be allowed to stand in presidential elections remains unresolved.

17 Apr 2005 - All sides agree that the long-delayed disarmament of rebels and pro-government militia should take place between mid-May and end July.

26 Apr 2005 - Clashes between immigrants and the indigenous Guere people in the western town of Guiglo spread to the nearby town of Duekoue. Within days, at least 15 people are killed and thousands displaced.

27 Apr 2005 - President Gbagbo bows to international pressure and allows his main rival Alassane Ouattara to stand in presidential elections - a key demand of rebels occupying the north of the country.

29 Apr 2005 - A government spokesman announces the date of long-awaited presidential elections that analysts believe can restore peace to the divided nation. The polls are scheduled for 30 October.

14 May 2005 - Military and rebel chiefs agree to push back the start of disarmament to late June.

31 May 2005 - Unknown assailants attack two villages on the outskirts of the western town of Duekoue. At least 60 men, women and children of the Guere ethnic group are hacked or burned to death. Scores of immigrants fall victim to subsequent revenge killings. More than 10,000 villagers seek refuge in a Catholic mission in Duekoue.

23 June 2005 - The UN Security Council agrees to send an additional 850 peacekeepers to Cote d’Ivoire.

29 Jun 2005 - After two days of talks in the South African capital Pretoria, the government and the rebel movement reach new agreements known as the Pretoria II deal. They agree to start disarmament immediately. A timetable is set for the revision of several key laws, including texts on national identity.

1 Aug 2005 - Another disarmament deadline slips by as rebels refuse to send their fighters to cantonment sites. The New Forces rebel movement says Gbagbo has failed to implement political reforms.

9 Sep 2005 - Following mounting scepticism over the possibility of holding elections, UN chief Kofi Annan says a poll is not feasible on 30 October. "It's not going to be possible because the political leaders and parties have not cooperated," he says.

22 Sept 2005 - The World Health Organisation launches an immunisation drive for more than half a million people in response to four cases of yellow fever in Burkina Faso, one of them near the border with Cote d'Ivoire.

14 Oct 2005 - The UN Security Council endorses a new peace proposal drafted by African leaders. It recommends that Laurent Gbagbo remain in office after his mandate expires on 30 October for no more than 12 months. A newly appointed prime minister with “full authority over his cabinet” should steer the country towards elections.

17 Oct 2005 - Rebels announce plans to organise school exams for children living in their territory. Hundreds of thousands of students are unable to progress from primary to secondary education because there have been no exams. The rebels accuse education minister Michel N’Guessan, a Gbagbo ally, of blocking exams in the north for political reasons.

21 Oct 2005 – The UN Security Council formally adopts Resolution 1633 enshrining the new peace plan.

28 Oct 2005 - According to a Human Rights Watch report, the Ivorian government is recruiting soldiers, including children, in neighbouring Liberia.

5 Dec 2005 – Three of Africa’s most prominent leaders, Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Mamadou Tandja of Niger, step in to designate Charles Konan Banny, governor of West Africa’s central bank, as interim prime minister under the terms of UN resolution 1633.

7 Dec 2005 - Charles Konan Banny is sworn in as interim prime minister after weeks of haggling among key political players. He is charged with carrying out disarmament, resolving the issue of who is entitled to citizenship, and organising presidential elections within 11 months.

15 Dec 2005 - The UN Security Council unanimously approves a new resolution to ban imports of rough diamonds from war-torn Cote d’Ivoire and renew an existing arms embargo.

29 Dec 2005 - Prime Minister Banny presents his new cabinet, a 32-member unity government which brings together representatives of the ruling party, the rebels and the political opposition. Rebel leader Guillaume Soro is given a portfolio.

[ENDS]