Joint Declaration of the Defence and Security Forces of Côte D'Ivoire and the armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles

Export agreement:

Export agreement coding (PDF)

Country/entity: Cote d'Ivoire
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Joint Declaration of the Defence and Security Forces of Côte D'Ivoire and the armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles
Date: 4 Jul 2003
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Ivorian Civil War (2002 - 2011)
The Ivorian civil war broke out in 2002 over the disqualification of Alassane Ouattara from the predominantly Muslim north for the presidential elections due to his missing “Ivoirity”. This concept, politically enforced by nationalist forces around President Laurent Ggagbo in the South of the country and in the capital Abidjan, demanded that both parents of a presidential candidate had to be born in Cote D’Ivoire. Despite several agreements and French military involvement the fighting continued until 2005, when a South African mediation attempt – and the qualification of the national football squad for the World Cup in 2006 – helped to end the fighting. The situation remained unstable even with a UN peacekeeping force in place. Renewed fighting broke out after the presidential elections in 2010 where Ouattara was allowed to run, but he lost the elections under unclear circumstances and perceptions of fraud. Finally, Ggagbo was arrested in April 2011 by French-backed forces supporting Ouattara.
Stage: Implementation/renegotiation
Conflict nature: Government
Peace process: Cote D'Ivoire: peace process
Parties: For the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire
Major-General Mathias Doue Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
(Signed) By order, Colonel Kadio Miezou Head of COIA

For the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles
(Signed) Colonel Bakayoko Soumaila Chief of Staff a.i. of the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles
Third parties: Declaration made in presence of Special Representative of the Secretary-General
Description: The parties declare the war to have ended, undertake to support the Linas-marcoussis and Accra agreements, affirm that they are subordinate to the Government of National Reconciliation, reaffirm commitment to DDR programme, invite the government to adopt an amnesty law, commit to developing a 'truly republican' army.

Agreement document: CI_030704_JointDeclarationDefenceandSecurityForcesandNationalArmy.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: Groups→Children/youth→Rhetorical
Page 1, UNTITLED PREAMBLE
...
Considering the need to guarantee equal opportunity to young people and future generations

Page 2, Paragraph 14
Call on Ivorian youth in its entirety to work towards union, brotherhood and respect for laws and regulations

Page 2, Paragraph 15
Undertake to dismantle, everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire, groups of ill- intentioned youths, both armed and unarmed, in order to provide the people with a feeling of security and reassure the international community

Page 3,
...
Furthermore, the duty to remember requires us to think of the thousands of men, women and children who have died or been permanently scarred by this war.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: Groups→Religious groups→Rhetorical
Page 1, UNTITLED PREAMBLE
...
Considering that diversity of communities, traditions, cultures, beliefs and opinions is a source of wealth,...
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: Page 3,
...
Furthermore, the duty to remember requires us to think of the thousands of men, women and children who have died or been permanently scarred by this war.
Men and boys: Gender→Men and boys→Gender neutral wording
Page 3,
...
Furthermore, the duty to remember requires us to think of the thousands of men, women and children who have died or been permanently scarred by this war.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: Preamble: 'Considering that partitioning Cote d'Ivoire, even briefly, would not be to the advantage of any of the parties.'
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: Rights related issues→Media and communication→Media roles
Page 2, Paragraph 13
Exhort the national press to work to bring population groups together and to secure unity and national harmony
Mobility/access: Page 3, Paragraph 18
Shall do everything in their power to foster the free movement of persons and goods throughout the national territory.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Socio-economic development
Page 2, Paragraph 6
Support activities aimed at securing a return to normal administrative, economic and social relations.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: Page 2, UNTITLED PREAMBLE
Consequently, the Defence and Security Forces of Cote d'Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles
...

Page 2, Paragraph 7
Recommend that the President of the Republic appoint, within a reasonable period of time, the ministers responsible for defence and security, in conformity with the Accra II procedures

Paragraph 9. Ask all State agents, in particular those in direct contact with the people, to show justice, discipline, integrity and republican responsibility in exercising their duties,

Page 2, Paragraph 15
Undertake to dismantle, everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire, groups of ill- intentioned youths, both armed and unarmed, in order to provide the people with a feeling of security and reassure the international community

Page 3, Paragraph 17
Undertake to guarantee equal security to all population groups and in particular to the members of the Government of National Reconciliation
Ceasefire: Security sector→Ceasefire→Ceasefire provision
Page 1, Paragraph 1
The Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the
Forces Nouvelles, taking into account the observance of the complete ceasefire signed on 3 May 2003 and the elimination of the war zones,

1. Declare the war to have ended on this day, 4 July 2003,
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: Security sector→DDR→DDR programmes
Page 2, Paragraph 5
Reaffirm that the national programme of demobilization, disarmament and reinsertion will continue

Page 2, Paragraph 11
Call on the politicians to end the rearmament of the forces and to postpone arms deliveries with a view to facilitating the implementation of the National Demobilization, Disarmament and Reinsertion Programme

Page 2, Paragraph 15
Undertake to dismantle, everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire, groups of ill- intentioned youths, both armed and unarmed, in order to provide the people with a feeling of security and reassure the international community
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 2, Paragraph 15
Undertake to dismantle, everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire, groups of ill- intentioned youths, both armed and unarmed, in order to provide the people with a feeling of security and reassure the international community
Withdrawal of foreign forces: Page 2, Paragraph 4
Are determined to work together to avoid any hint of resumption of hostilities through insidious and irresponsible manipulations and to bring peace to the national territory by ridding it of all foreign combatants
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: Transitional justice→Amnesty/pardon→Amnesty/pardon proper
Page 2, Paragraph 8
Invite the deputies to adopt the amnesty law that will be proposed to them by the Government of National Reconciliation, as this provision, which was provided for in the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, will reunify Côte d’Ivoire by making all population groups subject to the same laws
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: Page 1, UNTITLED PREAMBLE
...
Considering that every new death is pointless and further complicates national reconciliation

Page 2, Paragraph 12
Urge the politicians to ensure that both their words and deeds are aimed at securing national unity

Page 2, Paragraph 13
Exhort the national press to work to bring population groups together and to secure unity and national harmony

Page 2, Paragraph 14
Call on Ivorian youth in its entirety to work towards union, brotherhood and respect for laws and regulations

Page 3,
...
All the population groups living in Côte d’Ivoire should therefore accept the current logic of peace and permanently abandon divisive attitudes and words, for the blood that has been shed during this war must serve as a foundation for a renewed drive towards brotherhood and solidarity.

Implementation

UN signatory: Declaration made in presence of Special Representative of the Secretary-General
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: Page 1, UNTITLED PREAMBLE
...
Considering the interest that the international community has shown in Côte d’Ivoire by deploying the impartial forces of MINUCI, ECOMICI and UNICORN
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: UN Peacemaker
http://peacemaker.un.org/

Joint Declaration of the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles

In view of the grave dangers that threaten the national reconciliation process, the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles met on Wednesday, 2 July 2003 in Abidjan and agreed to adopt the following declaration, with a view to reassuring all the population groups living in Côte d’Ivoire and reaffirming the desire for peace which the great majority of Ivorians feel.

Thus:

Considering that Côte d’Ivoire has suffered enough from the war into which it was plunged on 19 September 2002,

Considering that the people’s pain and distress must be brought to an immediate end,

Considering that all conflicts must necessarily be resolved through dialogue and cooperation,

Considering that every new death is pointless and further complicates national reconciliation,

Considering that partitioning Côte d’Ivoire, even briefly, would not be to the advantage of any of the parties,

Considering that war can be justified only in order to defend values connected to the general and collective interest and that only the latter may justify the sacrifice of a combatant,

Considering that Côte d’Ivoire is the common asset of all Ivorians and, as such, represents the general interest to be defended come what may,

Considering that diversity of communities, traditions, cultures, beliefs and opinions is a source of wealth,

Considering that Côte d’Ivoire’s viability lies in its economy and that this economy has been damaged by more than eight months of war,

Considering the interest that the international community has shown in Côte d’Ivoire by deploying the impartial forces of MINUCI, ECOMICI and UNICORN,

Considering the need to guarantee equal opportunity to young people and future generations,

The Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles, taking into account the observance of the complete ceasefire signed on 3 May 2003 and the elimination of the war zones,

1. Declare the war to have ended on this day, 4 July 2003,

2. Undertake to support the provisions of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement and the Accra arrangements,

3. Affirm that they are subordinate to the President of the Republic and to the Government of National Reconciliation,

4. Are determined to work together to avoid any hint of resumption of hostilities through insidious and irresponsible manipulations and to bring peace to the national territory by ridding it of all foreign combatants,

5. Reaffirm that the national programme of demobilization, disarmament and reinsertion will continue,

6. Support activities aimed at securing a return to normal administrative, economic and social relations.

Consequently, the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles,

7. Recommend that the President of the Republic appoint, within a reasonable period of time, the ministers responsible for defence and security, in conformity with the Accra II procedures,

8. Invite the deputies to adopt the amnesty law that will be proposed to them by the Government of National Reconciliation, as this provision, which was provided for in the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, will reunify Côte d’Ivoire by making all population groups subject to the same laws,

9. Ask all State agents, in particular those in direct contact with the people, to show justice, discipline, integrity and republican responsibility in exercising their duties,

10. Invite the politicians to commit themselves unreservedly to applying the provisions of the Linas-Marcoussis and Accra Agreements, to which they are signatories,

11. Call on the politicians to end the rearmament of the forces and to postpone arms deliveries with a view to facilitating the implementation of the National Demobilization, Disarmament and Reinsertion Programme,

12. Urge the politicians to ensure that both their words and deeds are aimed at securing national unity,

13. Exhort the national press to work to bring population groups together and to secure unity and national harmony,

14. Call on Ivorian youth in its entirety to work towards union, brotherhood and respect for laws and regulations,

15. Undertake to dismantle, everywhere in Côte d’Ivoire, groups of ill- intentioned youths, both armed and unarmed, in order to provide the people with a feeling of security and reassure the international community,

16. Ask all the population groups living in the territory of Côte d’Ivoire to develop tolerance and respect for difference,

17. Undertake to guarantee equal security to all population groups and in particular to the members of the Government of National Reconciliation,

18. Shall do everything in their power to foster the free movement of persons and goods throughout the national territory.

On the basis of the foregoing, the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles consider that our country has shed enough blood during these long months of war.

All the population groups living in Côte d’Ivoire should therefore accept the current logic of peace and permanently abandon divisive attitudes and words, for the blood that has been shed during this war must serve as a foundation for a renewed drive towards brotherhood and solidarity.

For this reason Côte d’Ivoire must now make a date with history by showing the international community that it has the resources and capacity needed to rise above its contradictions and work towards peace once again.

Furthermore, the duty to remember requires us to think of the thousands of men, women and children who have died or been permanently scarred by this war.

In defending the values dear to us, we, the soldiers of the Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and of the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles, have done our duty.

The task ahead is to draw the proper lessons from this commitment, in order that our country may never again know war.

To that end, we who have been the main actors during this war, united in our determination to develop a truly republican army once again, undertake to build our common destiny by agreeing to silence our weapons and turn to discussion and cooperation instead.

The Defence and Security Forces of Côte d’Ivoire and the Armed Forces of the Forces Nouvelles, together, invite all population groups living in the territory of Côte d’Ivoire to follow them on the road to peace, for they will not hesitate to shoulder their responsibilities should new disturbances break out.

Done at Abidjan on 4 July 2003

For the Defence and Security Forces For the Armed Forces of the Forces of Côte d’Ivoire Nouvelles

Major-General Mathias Doue (Signed) Colonel Bakayoko Soumaila

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Chief of Staff a.i.

of the Armed

Forces of the Forces Nouvelles

(Signed) By order, Colonel Kadio Miezou

Head of COIA