IVORY COAST MAIN ISSUE IS MANAGEMENT OF DIVERSITY

By Mariam Kanla

A delegation of AGRA (Alliance for Governance Reinforcement in Africa) is leaving Ivory Coast today September 20, 2012 after almost seven days stay. This was its first mission since the end of post electoral crisis. Represented in eight countries in West Africa and two countries in central Africa, this organization has already come two times in Abidjan before the elections in 2010.

One of this mission’s objectives was to understand the actual social and political context in Ivory Coast as the organization aims to extend its international influence. The delegation of this Non Governmental Organization met with various actors of Ivorian society.

They discussed separately with representations of leading power and opposition. The coordinator of the Alliance evokes his impressions of the exchanges. Assane M’Baye is still mitigated: “The feelings I had, is there is a strong will to come out of this crisis. They all told us they want the dialogue to get under way, and this dialogue has to be inclusive. What we noticed however, is the fact that the different positions are still definite on both sides.”

In regards of the discussions they had had with the different Ivorian political actors before 2010 presidential elections, AGRA was not surprised at the crisis outbreak. According to M’Baye, despite the difficulties that hinder opening between the major actors today, all the parts agree on the fact that<<the main problem in Ivory Coast is the Management of Diversity>>.