Cote d’Ivoire, Known for Its Cocoa, Is Facing an Uncertain Future
Alassane Ouattara’s aim for a fourth presidential term risks regional and hard-earned political stability in Francophone West Africa’s biggest economy.
Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara
Photographer: Denis Balibouse/AFP/Getty Images
President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire threatens to plunge the world’s largest producer of cocoa into a new cycle of political crises with his decision to run for a controversial fourth term. Any eventual flashpoint in Francophone West Africa’s biggest economy will also increase the risk of a southward spread of violent insurgency plaguing the country’s neighbors to the north.
For these reasons, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and Abidjan’s other foreign partners — including France — should leverage their close diplomatic and personal ties to convince Ouattara to step down at the end of his current term.