ACCORD COI Compilation Côte D'ivoire
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BEREICH | EVENTL. ABTEILUNG | WWW.ROTESKREUZ.AT ACCORD - Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation Côte d’Ivoire: COI Compilation December 2020 This report serves the specific purpose of collating legally relevant information on conditions in countries of origin pertinent to the assessment of claims for asylum. It is not intended to be a general report on human rights conditions. The report is prepared within a specified time frame on the basis of publicly available documents as well as information provided by experts. All sources are cited and fully referenced. This report is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Every effort has been made to compile information from reliable sources; users should refer to the full text of documents cited and assess the credibility, relevance and timeliness of source material with reference to the specific research concerns arising from individual applications. © Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD An electronic version of this report is available on www.ecoi.net. Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD Wiedner Hauptstraße 32 A- 1040 Vienna, Austria Phone: +43 1 58 900 – 582 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.redcross.at/accord This report was commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. Table of contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Map ..................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Political system ................................................................................................................... 5 1.2.1 Executive branch (president, prime minister, government) ...................................... 5 1.2.2 Legislative branch (parliament) .................................................................................. 6 1.2.3 Political parties ............................................................................................................ 6 1.2.4 Judicial branch ............................................................................................................ 8 1.2.5 National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs ..................................................... 9 1.2.6 Influence of security actors on political system ......................................................... 9 1.3 Demographics ................................................................................................................... 10 1.3.1 Ethnicity .................................................................................................................... 10 1.3.2 Religion ...................................................................................................................... 12 1.4 Brief history ...................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.1 2010-2011 electoral crisis and political violence ..................................................... 15 2 Current political situation .................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Major political actors........................................................................................................ 17 2.1.1 Laurent Gbagbo ........................................................................................................ 17 2.1.2 Guillaume Soro .......................................................................................................... 18 2.1.3 Alassane Ouattara ..................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Presidential candidates besides Alassane Ouattara ........................................................ 20 2.2.1 Henri Konan Bédié .................................................................................................... 20 2.2.2 Pascal Affi N’Guessan ................................................................................................ 21 2.2.3 Kouadio Konan Bertin ............................................................................................... 21 2.3 2018 Municipal and regional elections ............................................................................ 22 2.4 2019 Events ...................................................................................................................... 24 2.4.1 Overhaul of Election Commission ............................................................................ 24 2.5 October 2020 election ..................................................................................................... 25 2.5.1 Constitutional amendments 2020 ............................................................................ 25 2.5.2 Third term bid by Alassane Ouattara........................................................................ 26 2.5.3 Protests/violence ...................................................................................................... 28 3 Inter-communal violence .................................................................................................... 33 3.1 Concept of Ivoirité ............................................................................................................ 33 3.2 Violence in 2010 and 2011 ............................................................................................... 34 3.3 Conflict over access to land ............................................................................................. 34 3.4 Violence related to October 2020 presidential elections ................................................ 36 4 Freedom of speech/freedom of assembly .......................................................................... 40 4.1 Legal framework and changes ......................................................................................... 40 4.2 Treatment of protestors ................................................................................................... 41 4.3 Treatment of opposition supporters ............................................................................... 43 5 Situation of women ............................................................................................................. 46 5.1 Marriage, inheritance, divorce, adultery, abortion ......................................................... 46 5.2 Access to public life and political participation ............................................................... 49 2 5.3 Sexual and gender based violence ................................................................................... 51 5.3.1 Female genital mutilation (FGM) .............................................................................. 55 6 Situation of children ............................................................................................................ 59 6.1.1 Access to education .................................................................................................. 59 6.1.2 Vulnerability to violence ........................................................................................... 61 6.1.3 Child labour/child trafficking .................................................................................... 64 7 Situation of individuals with disabilities .............................................................................. 68 8 Situation of individuals of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities (SOGI) .......... 71 9 Rule of law ........................................................................................................................... 74 9.1 Impunity/accountability for crimes .................................................................................. 74 9.2 Arbitrary arrest and detention ......................................................................................... 79 9.3 Independence of the judiciary ......................................................................................... 83 Sources ......................................................................................................................................... 86 3 1 Introduction 1.1 Map Source: UN Cartographic Section, December 2011 1.2 Political system Since 7 August 1960 Côte d’Ivoire is an independent republic. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, last updated 9 September 2020, Introduction & Quick Facts) The country is a presidential democracy in which the president has great executive powers. The state structure of Côte d’Ivoire is based on the French model. The constitution is based on the principle of the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. (AA, 24 January 2020) The constitution of Côte d'Ivoire can be accessed in full via the following link: • Law no. 2016-886 [Constitution of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire] - Loi n° 2016-886 du 8 novembre 2016 portant Constitution de la République de Côte d’Ivoire, 8 November 2016 https://www.presidence.ci/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/CONSTITUTION.pdf An English translation of the Ivorian constitution is provided by the Comparative Constitutions Project at the University of Texas at Austin and can be accessed via the following