**2.3 The 2002 war**

160 Post Traumatic Stress Disorders in a Global Context

Côte d'Ivoire is situated in West Africa in the sub-Saharan area. It covers an area of 322,462 square kilometers. It is bordered in the North by Burkina Faso and Mali, in the West by

The political capital of the country is Yamoussoukro, located in the heart of the country, some 248 km from Abidjan (in the South), and the economic capital. The official language is French. It is a country of immigrants, on account of being a crossroad of economic and cultural exchange. It has witnessed an urban growth since independence. The country

On the sociopolitical level, Côte d'Ivoire is a democratic republic led by an executive

The population of Côte d'Ivoire was estimated in 2008 at 20,179,602 inhabitants. Forty three percent of the population is less than 15 year-old, and 49% are female among whom 51% are

The Ivoirian population is characterized by its ethnic diversity. There are more than 60 ethnic groups divided into 4 main groups: the *Malinkés* in the northwest, the Voltas in the

Ivoirians are essentially religious-minded people, and the freedom of worship is guaranteed

As a rule, the Ivoirian population is diversified, young, barely literate and highly fertile; which constitutes a strong pressure on health agents who are over worked most of the time,

Since the death of the Founding Father, His Excellency Felix Houphouet-Boigny in 1993, the country has always been prey to many uprisings. The climax was reached on the eve of Christmas in December 1999. The country knows its first putsch and a transition military take-over that lasted around 11months. At the end of the military confrontations linked to the putsch, people were traumatized and a few actions were taken against this traumatic experience. In 2000, a controversial election, urban confrontations and a military and political crisis, brought President Laurent Gbagbo to power. A number of initiatives, such as Reconciliation Days were organized in order to reunite the nation, as well as a few attempts of psychosocial actions. Despite this, on 19 September 2002, an armed rebellion cropped up that attempted to topple the Government. The failure of this attempt saw the partition of the country. The northern part fell in the hands of the rebels, while the Southern part remained under the control of government forces. A third zone, the trusted zone in the hands of the international forces (*Licorne* and *ONUCI*) representing the intervention forces separated the

In November 2004, the French army based in Abidjan, the economic capital in the South, attacked the Ivoirian army. People took to the streets and many casualties were recorded. In August 2006, people were, once again, shaken by the problem of toxic waste damped into a number of sites in Abidjan. People concluded that, after the failure of the military coup, it

On the political level, union governments came into existence, but their operations were once again hampered by internecine, partisan and political war. The country remained divided into two, even though on 31 July 2007, the reunification was announced. Despite of

Liberia and Guinea, in the East by Ghana and in the South by the Gulf of Guinea.

**2.1 Côte d'Ivoire geographic and sociodemographic context** 

probably has the best urban centers in Africa south of the Sahara.

northeast, the *Krous* in the southwest, and the *Akan s*in the southeast.

by the Constitution. The main religions are Christian faith, Islam and Animism.

President.

within the active reproductive age.

especially in the situations of crises.

**2.2 The different wars** 

two warring forces.

was the time of chemical and bacteriological war.

all these difficulties, the country lived on.

In the night of 18 to 19 September 2002, a number of towns were attacked simultaneously: Korhogo in the North, Man in the West, Bouake in the central region, and Abidjan in the South.

The military and political crisis, facing Côte d'Ivoire at that moment would give birth to a humanitarian catastrophe, without precedent in the history of the country, and that would result in loss of human life among the civilian population affecting manily women and children. Around 1,500,000 persons were forced to leave the theater of war, (OCHA, 2004) either to seek refuge in areas under government control, or to seek shelter in neighboring countries (400,000 Ivoirian refugees).

More than 2,600 teachers and 704,800 students were displaced, including about 59,000 who were able to resume classes in the institutions labeled as relay schools in the free zone. But, only few of those displaced children did enjoy psychological health.

This mass movement of traumatized people and the disorganization of the social structure yielded dramatic health, social and psychic consequences yet to be investigated and addressed.

All these displaced persons had many difficulties to readapt because few of them received psychological support as part of handling war trauma. The absence of medico-psychological and social intervention due to lack of qualified health personnel was visible.

The phenomenon of child soldiers actually appeared in December 2002, on the occasion of the outbreak of a new tension source in the western region. The interethnic conflicts took around three years, in an area where many factions, including those from Liberia, a neighboring country fought the battles. This tension source developed in a region that has been receiving traditionally a number of Ivoirians and foreigners for years, and also, since the Liberian war, some refugee camps.
