COUNTRY PROFILE

Once hailed as a model of stability, C“te d'Ivoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, is in danger of slipping into the kind of internal strife that has plagued so many African countries. While the government is sympathetic to missions, tribal groups in the north and pockets of people in tribes all over the country are becoming Muslim. Urban concentrations are high, and so are conversion rates among new immigrants to the cities. Over half of Abidjan's population is Muslim. The spiritual life of believers needs prayer. Divisions, leadership power struggles, breakdowns between missions and daughter churches, and often a lack of commitment to full-time service or evangelistic zeal exist in many congregations. Pray for revival for the fragmented Church. 


OVERVIEW

Independent from France in 1960. For more than three decades after independence under the leadership of its first president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Ivory Coast was conspicuous for its religious and ethnic harmony. Its economy was among the most developed on the continent. All this ended when in 1999 a coup led by General Robert Guei toppled Houphouet-Boigny's successor, Henri Bedie. Bedie fled, but not before planting the seeds of ethnic discord by attempting to stir up hatred against Muslim northerners, including his main rival, Alassane Ouattara. This theme was also adopted by Guei, who had Ouattara banned from the presidential election in 2000 on the grounds of his foreign parentage, and the only serious contender allowed to run against Guei, Laurent Gbagbo. But when Gbagbo replaced Guei after he was deposed in a popular uprising for trying to rig the election result, violence replaced hatred. Scores of Ouattara's supporters were killed in the wake of their leader's call for a new election. While civilian rule may now have returned to Ivory Coast, its status as one of Africa's more stable countries is in jeopardy. 

FACTS

Population: 16 million
Capital: Yamoussoukro (administrative); 
Abidjan (legislative) 
Major languages: French, indigenous languages 
Major religions: Islam, Christianity, indigenous beliefs
Form of government: Multiparty republic 
Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes 
Main exports: Cocoa, coffee, tropical woods, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish 
Internet domain: .ci 
Time zone: GMT 
International dialing code: +225 

LEADERS

 
President: 
Laurent Gbagbo

A historian by profession, Laurent Gbagbo is a former trade union activist who, since the 1980s, has taken a strongly nationalist stance, espousing the concept of pure Ivorian parentage. He spent two years in prison in the early 1970s for "subversive" teaching and eight years in exile in France in the 1980s, before returning in 1988 to campaign for multiparty democracy. He proclaimed himself president in October 2000 at the age of 55. Prime Minister: Affi Nguessan Foreign Minister: Aboudramane Sangare Defense Minister: Moisse Kouassi Interior Minister: Emile Doudou Economy and Finance Minister: Bohoun Bouabre 

MEDIA

Apart from the dominant national state television channels, there is access to mainly French-language TV from abroad in a few areas. Already suffering from considerable efforts to censor it, the media came under extreme pressure as the October 2000 presidential election approached. The public protests, which accompanied the election and the resulting change of leaders, have led to some media changes. The state TV announced in November 2000 that it would no longer broadcast letters to the president or inform the public of his daily activities in its news reports. In the capital, Abidjan, local FM relays of the BBC and Radio France Internationale are often taken off the air when tension mounts. 

     The Press 
     Fraternit‚ Matin Ivoire Soir 

     Television 
     Television Ivoirienne 

     Radio 
     Radio Cote d'Ivoire - National Radio 
     Radio Espoir (Abidjan) 

     News Agency 
     Agence Ivoirienne de Presse

OBSTACLES TO MINISTRY

• Influx of Muslim foreigners
• Tribalism in denominations
• Lack of leadership among churches
• Many denominations have one trained pastor for every 10-20 congregations

SPIRITUAL POWER POINTS

• The government has undergone considerable changes since the controversial October 2000 election
• AIDS 
• 14-16 percent of Abidjan's population is infected
• High Muslim population among the northwest Malink‚ Fula and Dioula-speaking peoples