Military of Côte d'Ivoire
Encyclopedia
The Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire are the armed forces
of Côte d'Ivoire
(Ivory Coast) and serve the Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire
(FNCI), the political coalition that triumphed in the Second Ivorian Civil War
. The FRCI were formerly known as the Armed Forces of the New Forces (FAFN). As of September 2011, the government is attempting to form what is called the Forces Armées Nationales de Côte d'Ivoire (FANCI), which aims to merge 5,000 former rebels of the FRCI with 30,000 veterans of the former regular army (Forces de défense et de sécurité - FDS).
The country became independent on 7 August 1960. In 1962 the total strength of the armed forces was about 6,500, about 4,000 being conscripts doing their military service. The authors of the U.S. Army's Area Handbook series said at the time that '..the Army and Gendarmery (sic) were effective forces in being, but the Navy and Air Force were token forces primarily for prestige and with little actual defense value.'
The army had three infantry battalions and an engineer battalion in 1979, as well as a light tank squadron, a reconnaissance company, and an artillery battery. At that time the active forces consisted of 4,900 men, of which 450 were in the navy or the air force. The 1979 air force had only transport and liaison aircraft. The army at that time operated AMX-13
light tanks, AML H60 and H90 armored cars, French 105mm howitzers, and mortars of 81mm and 120mm caliber.
In 2011, the FRCI, with assistance from French forces and the UN's mission ONUCI, defeated the army of the former government of Côte d'Ivoire. While the pre-2011 structure of the armed forces was well documented, the structure of the FRCI armed forces since the victory of the FNCI is unclear.
French forces and the Opération des Nations Unies en Côte d'Ivoire
are a significant military factor in the country as of late 2011 (see International Forces below).
was divided into five military regions, each commanded by a colonel
.
The First Military Region controlled the concentration of forces in and around Abidjan
, its principal units there being a rapid intervention battalion
(airborne), an infantry
battalion, an armored battalion, and an air defense artillery
battalion. The Second Military Region was located in Daloa
and comprised one infantry battalion. The Third Military Region was headquartered in Bouaké
and was home to an artillery, an infantry, and an engineer battalion. The Fourth Military Region maintained only a Territorial Defense Company headquartered in Korhogo
The Fifth Military Region was formerly known as the Western Operational Zone, a temporary command created to respond to the security threat caused by the Liberian Civil War
. There were a total of 14,920 active troops.
Long-time President Houphouët Boigny, in power since the 1960s, passed away in December 1993, unleashing a succession crisis which quickly involved the power institutions of the state. The army seized power on 24 December 1999
. By a decree of 27 December 1999, the constitution was suspended and all the institutions of government were dissolved. A collective body, the National Council of Public Safety (CNSP), presided over by Brigadier General Robert Guéi
, took control.
Following a constitutional referrendum of July 2000, the president of the CNSP decided to run for president, and indeed declared himself president after the elections of 22 October 2000
. Finally, however, after popular unrest Laurent Gbagbo
became president and was sworn in on 26 October 2000.
A succession of military coups followed, which gave rise to an rebellion which began on 19 September 2002. From 2002 until 2011 Cote d'Ivoire was split by the rebellion between the existing government in the south and the Forces Nouvelles
in the north. As of July 2011, General Soumaïla Bakayoko is the chief of staff of the army, and colonel-major Gervais Kouakou Kouassi is the Chief of the Gendarmerie.
As of October 2011, previously active units around Abidjan reportedly included the:
The 2nd Infantry Battalion appears to have been based at Daloa
for some time. A 2003 change of command usshered in the 16th commander of the unit, and there are also reports from 2009 and 2011.
force which is responsible for territorial security, especially in rural
areas. In times of national crisis the gendarmerie could be used to reinforce the army. The gendarmerie is commanded by a colonel-major and comprises four Legions, each corresponding to one of the four numbered military regions, minus the temporary military operational zone on the western border.
whose mission is coast
al surveillance and security for the nation's 340-mile coastline.
Equipment includes:
In 2004, following an air strikes on French peacekeepers by Ivorian forces, the French military destroyed all aircraft in the Air Force of Côte d'Ivoire, including two Sukhoi 25 ground-attack aircraft and three Mil Mi-24
helicopters. Since then, the Air Force of Côte d'Ivoire has been rebuilt.
Since 2004, efforts to put together some form of inventory led to possibly as many six aircraft being in service by the end of 2006. It is unknown whether any of these aircraft are truly operational.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Antonov An-32
|| || tactical transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 421 Golden Eagle
|| || utility || || 1 ||
|-----
| Eurocopter SA 365 Dauphin
|| ||utility helicopter || AS 365C ||2 ||
|-----
| Gulfstream III || || VIP || || 1 ||
|-----
| Mil Mi-24
|| || attack helicopter || || 1 ||
|-----
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
|| || fighter || || 2 ||
in April 1961 provides for the stationing of Franch Armed Forces troops in Côte d'Ivoire. The 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (:fr:43e bataillon d'infanterie de marine) was based in Port Bouet adjacent to the Abidjan Airport from 1979 and has more than 500 troops assigned until 2011, when it appears to have been disbanded. The French military also maintains a force as part of Operation Licorne
.
From summer 2011, Operation Licorne
, the French force, previously over 5,000 strong, is roughly 700, and consists of Licorne headquarters, Battalion Licorne (BATLIC), seemingly made up of elements of the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment
and the Régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine, and a helicopter detachment.
Currently the United Nations
has the peacekeeping mission ONUCI in the country. On 28 February 2011 ONUCI consisted of 7,568 troops, 177 military observers, and numerous international civilians and Police; the mission had received helicopter and infantry reinforcement from UNMIL during the stand-off since the late 2010 elections which had been won by Alassane Ouattara
.
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
(Ivory Coast) and serve the Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire
Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire
The Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire is a political coalition that was formed in December 2002, in the wake of the first peace accords of the Ivorian Civil War.-Composition:FNCI includes these political parties:...
(FNCI), the political coalition that triumphed in the Second Ivorian Civil War
Second Ivorian Civil War
The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2000, and supporters of the internationally recognised president-elect Alassane Ouattara...
. The FRCI were formerly known as the Armed Forces of the New Forces (FAFN). As of September 2011, the government is attempting to form what is called the Forces Armées Nationales de Côte d'Ivoire (FANCI), which aims to merge 5,000 former rebels of the FRCI with 30,000 veterans of the former regular army (Forces de défense et de sécurité - FDS).
The country became independent on 7 August 1960. In 1962 the total strength of the armed forces was about 6,500, about 4,000 being conscripts doing their military service. The authors of the U.S. Army's Area Handbook series said at the time that '..the Army and Gendarmery (sic) were effective forces in being, but the Navy and Air Force were token forces primarily for prestige and with little actual defense value.'
The army had three infantry battalions and an engineer battalion in 1979, as well as a light tank squadron, a reconnaissance company, and an artillery battery. At that time the active forces consisted of 4,900 men, of which 450 were in the navy or the air force. The 1979 air force had only transport and liaison aircraft. The army at that time operated AMX-13
AMX-13
The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1953 to 1985. It served with the French Army and was exported to over twenty-five other nations...
light tanks, AML H60 and H90 armored cars, French 105mm howitzers, and mortars of 81mm and 120mm caliber.
In 2011, the FRCI, with assistance from French forces and the UN's mission ONUCI, defeated the army of the former government of Côte d'Ivoire. While the pre-2011 structure of the armed forces was well documented, the structure of the FRCI armed forces since the victory of the FNCI is unclear.
French forces and the Opération des Nations Unies en Côte d'Ivoire
United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire is a peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"...
are a significant military factor in the country as of late 2011 (see International Forces below).
Army
In 1987 Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
was divided into five military regions, each commanded by a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
The First Military Region controlled the concentration of forces in and around Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, its principal units there being a rapid intervention battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
(airborne), an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion, an armored battalion, and an air defense artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battalion. The Second Military Region was located in Daloa
Daloa
Daloa is a town in Daloa Department of Côte d'Ivoire, lying west of Yamoussoukro in Haut-Sassandra Region. It has a population of over 100,000. The town is a regional capital and an important trading centre, particularly for cocoa...
and comprised one infantry battalion. The Third Military Region was headquartered in Bouaké
Bouaké
Bouaké is the second largest city in Côte d'Ivoire, with a population of 775,300 . It is the main urban settlement of the Bouaké Department with a population exceeding 1.2 million, in the Vallée du Bandama Region...
and was home to an artillery, an infantry, and an engineer battalion. The Fourth Military Region maintained only a Territorial Defense Company headquartered in Korhogo
Korhogo
Korhogo is a town in Korhogo Department in the north-central region of Côte d'Ivoire. It has a population of 174,000 . It produces and/or processes goods such as cotton, kapok, rice, millet, peanuts, corn, yams, sheep, goats and diamonds. The town was on an important pre-colonial trade route to...
The Fifth Military Region was formerly known as the Western Operational Zone, a temporary command created to respond to the security threat caused by the Liberian Civil War
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
. There were a total of 14,920 active troops.
Long-time President Houphouët Boigny, in power since the 1960s, passed away in December 1993, unleashing a succession crisis which quickly involved the power institutions of the state. The army seized power on 24 December 1999
1999 Ivorian coup d'état
The 1999 Ivorian coup d'état took place on December 24, 1999. It was the first coup d'état since the independence of Côte d'Ivoire.- Background :...
. By a decree of 27 December 1999, the constitution was suspended and all the institutions of government were dissolved. A collective body, the National Council of Public Safety (CNSP), presided over by Brigadier General Robert Guéi
Robert Guéï
Robert Guéï was the military ruler of the Côte d'Ivoire from December 24, 1999 to October 26, 2000.Guéï was born in Kabakouma, a village in the western Man region, and was a member of the Yakouba tribe. He was a career soldier: under the French administration, he was trained at the Ouagadougou...
, took control.
Following a constitutional referrendum of July 2000, the president of the CNSP decided to run for president, and indeed declared himself president after the elections of 22 October 2000
Ivorian presidential election, 2000
A presidential election was held in Côte d'Ivoire on 22 October 2000. Robert Guéï, who headed a transitional military regime following the December 1999 coup d'état, stood as a candidate in the election. All of the major opposition candidates except for Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivorian Popular Front ...
. Finally, however, after popular unrest Laurent Gbagbo
Laurent Gbagbo
Laurent Koudou Gbagbo served as the fourth President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. A historian by profession, he is also an amateur chemist and physicist....
became president and was sworn in on 26 October 2000.
A succession of military coups followed, which gave rise to an rebellion which began on 19 September 2002. From 2002 until 2011 Cote d'Ivoire was split by the rebellion between the existing government in the south and the Forces Nouvelles
Forces nouvelles
Forces nouvelles can refer to:*Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire: a political party coalition and one of the sides in the Ivorian Civil War...
in the north. As of July 2011, General Soumaïla Bakayoko is the chief of staff of the army, and colonel-major Gervais Kouakou Kouassi is the Chief of the Gendarmerie.
As of October 2011, previously active units around Abidjan reportedly included the:
- 1st Infantry Battalion - (1er Bataillon d’infanterie des forces armées terrestres ivoiriennes), at Akouédo (new camp)
- Armoured Battalion - (Battaillon Blinde), at Akouédo (new camp). The new camp at Akouedo had reportedly been almost completely destroyed. :fr:Akouedo appears to be at 5' 21 7 N, 3' 26 30 W.
- 1st Parachute Commando Battalion - 1er Bataillon des Commandos Parachutistes (1er BCP), old camp at Akouedo, on the route to the village Ébrié.
The 2nd Infantry Battalion appears to have been based at Daloa
Daloa
Daloa is a town in Daloa Department of Côte d'Ivoire, lying west of Yamoussoukro in Haut-Sassandra Region. It has a population of over 100,000. The town is a regional capital and an important trading centre, particularly for cocoa...
for some time. A 2003 change of command usshered in the 16th commander of the unit, and there are also reports from 2009 and 2011.
Gendarmerie
The gendarmerie is roughly equivalent in size to the army. It is a national policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force which is responsible for territorial security, especially in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
areas. In times of national crisis the gendarmerie could be used to reinforce the army. The gendarmerie is commanded by a colonel-major and comprises four Legions, each corresponding to one of the four numbered military regions, minus the temporary military operational zone on the western border.
Navy
Côte d'Ivoire has a brown-water navyBrown-water navy
Brown-water navy is a term that originated in the United States Navy, referring to the small gunboats and patrol boats used in rivers, along with some of the larger ships that supported them as "mother ships," from which they operated...
whose mission is coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al surveillance and security for the nation's 340-mile coastline.
Equipment includes:
- 1 Patra patrol craft - 147 tons full load - commissioned 1978
- 2 CTM LCM - 150t - commissioned 1968
- 2 Rodman 890 fishery protection - commissioned 1997
Air Force
The Air Force's official name, Ivoirian Air Transport and Liaison Group (Groupement Aérien de Transport et de Liaison--GATL), reflects an original mission focused more on logistics and transport rather than a combat force.In 2004, following an air strikes on French peacekeepers by Ivorian forces, the French military destroyed all aircraft in the Air Force of Côte d'Ivoire, including two Sukhoi 25 ground-attack aircraft and three Mil Mi-24
Mil Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...
helicopters. Since then, the Air Force of Côte d'Ivoire has been rebuilt.
Since 2004, efforts to put together some form of inventory led to possibly as many six aircraft being in service by the end of 2006. It is unknown whether any of these aircraft are truly operational.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Antonov An-32
Antonov An-32
The Antonov An-32 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft.-Design and development:The An-32 is basically a re-engined An-26. The launch customer was the Indian Air Force, which ordered this aircraft partly due to good relations between then USSR leader Leonid Brezhnev and then...
|| || tactical transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 421 Golden Eagle
Cessna 421
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Taylor, John W.R. . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538-3....
|| || utility || || 1 ||
|-----
| Eurocopter SA 365 Dauphin
Eurocopter Dauphin
The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
|| ||utility helicopter || AS 365C ||2 ||
|-----
| Gulfstream III || || VIP || || 1 ||
|-----
| Mil Mi-24
Mil Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...
|| || attack helicopter || || 1 ||
|-----
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat"...
|| || fighter || || 2 ||
International forces
A mutual defense accord signed with FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in April 1961 provides for the stationing of Franch Armed Forces troops in Côte d'Ivoire. The 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (:fr:43e bataillon d'infanterie de marine) was based in Port Bouet adjacent to the Abidjan Airport from 1979 and has more than 500 troops assigned until 2011, when it appears to have been disbanded. The French military also maintains a force as part of Operation Licorne
Operation Licorne
Operation Unicorn is the name of the French Armed Forces's peacekeeping operation in support of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire. The French forces have been stationed in the country since shortly after the outbreak of the Ivorian Civil War...
.
From summer 2011, Operation Licorne
Operation Licorne
Operation Unicorn is the name of the French Armed Forces's peacekeeping operation in support of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire. The French forces have been stationed in the country since shortly after the outbreak of the Ivorian Civil War...
, the French force, previously over 5,000 strong, is roughly 700, and consists of Licorne headquarters, Battalion Licorne (BATLIC), seemingly made up of elements of the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment
2nd Marine Infantry Regiment
The 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest marine units in the French Army, as part of the troupes de marine.The 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment is a unit of the French army is the only one to carry 15 names on its battle flag and the inscription "AFN 1952-1962"...
and the Régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine, and a helicopter detachment.
Currently the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
has the peacekeeping mission ONUCI in the country. On 28 February 2011 ONUCI consisted of 7,568 troops, 177 military observers, and numerous international civilians and Police; the mission had received helicopter and infantry reinforcement from UNMIL during the stand-off since the late 2010 elections which had been won by Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2011. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of West African States , and he was the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire from November 1990 to...
.
Further reading
- http://www.iss.co.za/af/profiles/IvoryCoast/SecInfo.html
- 'Old Rivalries stall Côte d'Ivoire army merger,' Jane's Defence WeeklyJane's Defence WeeklyJane's Defence Weekly is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who first published Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships in 1898...
, 12 November 2008, p. 23 - Arthur Boutellis, The Security Sector in Côte d’Ivoire: A Source of Conflict and a Key to Peace, International Peace InstituteInternational Peace InstituteThe International Peace Institute is an independent non-profit research and policy development institution based in New York. IPI specializes in multilateral approaches to peace and security issues, working closely with the Secretariat and membership of the United Nations...
, Policy Papers - May 26, 2011 - Raphaël Outtara, 'Cote d'Ivoire,' in Alan Bryden, Boubacar N’Diaye and ‘Funmi Olonisakin (Eds.), Challenges of Security Sector Governance in West Africa, Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed ForcesGeneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces-Mission:The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces is one of the world’s leading institutions in the areas of security sector reform and security sector governance...
/Lit Verlag, June 2008, pp 75-92
Sources
- Keegan, John. World Armies. New York: Facts on File Inc., 1979. ISBN 0-87196-407-4.