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Army Divisions Threaten Cote d’Ivoire

LONDON – Mercenaries are trying to destabilise Cote d’Ivoire but according to risk mitigation company AKE they are not the biggest threat to the country. The divided national army poses a much bigger concern for stability.

Up to 70 ‘guns for hire’ were arrested along the frontier with Liberia on 28 January. They were recruiting supporters and training them to take part in a drive to destabilise the Ivorian government. Nonetheless, AKE believes that they are only the tip of the iceberg of enduring security challenges facing President Ouattara.

According to AKE Africa specialist Hannah Waddilove “the army is both fractured and underpaid, and without security sector reform this will pose a much bigger risk to stability. Members of the Gbagbo-era security forces coexist uneasily with Ouattara’s former fighters in the new national army, with conditions breeding resentment and frustration. This is not conducive towards peaceful re-integration of society.”

There has been praise for the re-emerging Ivorian economy over the eight months since Ouattara was appointed but this alone will not be enough to prevent further instability. Criminal activity also persists. Extortion by men wearing army uniforms remains a daily problem in certain rural areas and outer districts of Abidjan. In this environment, AKE reminds business travellers and would-be investors to proceed with caution.

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