THE DJCI AND CUP-CI PEACE PLAN
PROPOSAL
From an Ivory Coast at war
to a peaceful Republic of Ebournie
Over one year ago, DJCI (Diaspora
et Jeunesse de Côte d’Ivoire- Diaspora and Youth of Côte
d’Ivoire) published
its proposed Peace Plan for the resolution of the conflict in the
Ivory Coast. We have been heartened to see that in its attempts
to bring peace to the country, the international community is
adopting key elements of our proposal.
Nonetheless, one year later, the conflict has not been
fully resolved. In
our view, the current path is appropriate, but success would
require a more vigorous implementation of our proposals. We therefore feel that it is timely to update the original
DJCI Peace Plan document.
Background
The Côte d’Ivoire,
a showcase for successful political and economic development in
Africa in the past, has been torn apart by violence for the last
three years. The international community has attempted to assist
the restoration of peace and normalcy in the life of the
country, so far with limited success. At this stage, a new
chapter in the search for peace has begun following the
appointment of a transitional Prime Minister with enlarged
powers in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution
1633. His mandate is to disarm rebels, reunite the country and
make the holding of the so far delayed elections possible.
It is important, however, not to lose sight of the
underlying roots of the conflict, and to work toward their
effective removal. One of the primary causes of the conflict
that has wrecked the country is the “Ivoirité” policy of
exclusion and intolerance that followed the death of President
Felix Houphouët Boigny. This unjust policy has deprived certain
ethnic groups of equal citizenship rights, even if they have
lived in the Côte d’Ivoire for generations.
It has disrupted the country’s traditions of ethnic
peace and tolerance and fomented armed conflict, driving Côte
d’Ivoire toward political and economic ruin. Côte d’Ivoire
has become a failed state, with a potential to negatively affect
the rest of West Africa.
The UN Security Council has closely monitored the
situation in the Côte d’Ivoire, and in consultation with the
African Union and other stakeholders, has adopted increasingly
strong resolutions aiming to restore peace to the country.
Despite the incremental increase in their strength, the
resolutions have still been insufficient to bring the desired
success. Furthermore,
they are placed within the framework of the French-imposed
so-called Linas-Marcoussis agreements and their sequels, which,
in our opinion, are fundamentally flawed and do not provide an
adequate basis for a true and sustainable peace.
As Ivorians, free of links with any of the groups
currently vying for dominance, we feel to have a sufficient
understanding of the mind-set of current political actors to
know that the international community’s expectation that the
Linas-Marcoussis and Accra Peace Agreements will be honored is
not realistic, as developments continuously suggest. With the
current Ivorian political actors, sustainable peace is not
likely to be found along those lines. We are proposing a more
inclusive process, more in tune with African traditions, which
we feel to be a more effective road toward achieving the
sustainable peace our people are longing for.
It is also the view of DJCI that unless fundamental
changes in attitude by the current political class take place,
and its members show the required maturity, political
leadership, and a genuine commitment to serve the common
interest, rather than promoting selfish sectarian interests, the
current conflicts will not be overcome under the leadership of
current politicians. DJCI is of the view that only a renewal of
the political class will bring the desired changes to the
country, since the current political leaders have failed.
The purpose of CUP-CI (Citizens for Unity and Peace
in Côte d’Ivoire), as expressed in its name, is to bring an
end to the artificially induced political and military conflict
in the Cote d’Ivoire, and to restore unity and peace to the
country by establishing a democratic government
that respects the rights of all Ivorians. DJCI
and CUP-CI are free of entanglements with any of the warring
partisans, and unaffiliated with outside parties that may seek
to profit from the conflict. With this background they are
proposing through this document some steps crucial to finding a
solution to the Côte d’Ivoire conflict. This proposal is
meant to encourage further discussion for the formulation of a
Peace Plan that will restore unity, peace and prosperity to the
Côte d’Ivoire.
DJCI and CUP-CI are encouraged by the efforts of
members of the international community which are in line with
some of the recommendations presented here. We feel, however,
that the good efforts of the various UN Security Council member
states, with the cooperation of regional organizations like the
African Union and ECOWAS to resolve the current conflict in the
Côte d’Ivoire, much more needs to be done.
This proposal for a peace plan by DJCI and CUP-CI
calls on the citizens of Côte d’Ivoire to: (1) reject all
further attempts to divide the Côte d’Ivoire; (2) embrace a
new vision for our country; and (3) support a phased plan for
realizing that vision. Accordingly, the Plan broadly describes
the ultimate and the interim governance that DJCI and CUP-CI
believe can restore Côte d’Ivoire to its inherent nature, and
then lays out the major steps that need to be taken to achieve
that end.
The document is organized into 5 sections, as
follows:
1.
Brief description of DJCI and CUP-CI
2.
Broad articulation of the shape of the eventual government for Côte
d’Ivoire that DJCI and CUP-CI envision
3.
Identification of basic requirements for order restoration to
enable implementation of this vision
4.
Proposal for a state-reconstruction transitional partnership
government between Ivorians and the international community
5.
Steps to be implemented on the road to peace
1)
DJCI
and CUP-CI
DJCI
is an umbrella organization bringing together a wide range of
Ivorian civil society groups. It was initiated by the Ivorian
Diaspora, together with better-educated members of the local
Ivorian youth and other democratically minded-people. CUP-CI is
a fast-growing citizens’ movement in the Ivory Coast. Both are
committed to total ethnic and religious inclusiveness. They aim
to: (1) end the current artificially generated political
violence, and (2) educate the population about the changes
needed to develop a genuine democracy based on national unity.
These
organizations were initiated by younger Ivorians, --under the
leadership of Mr. Modeste G. Seri-- whose
education and exposure to other cultures had alerted them to the
ruinous consequences of the ethnic and religious inequities
currently being fostered by the current political leaders.
Today,
DJCI and CUP-CI include and welcome Ivorians of all ethnicities
and classes who seek a democratic, inclusive, and ethnically
tolerant society for Côte d’Ivoire.
2)
DJCI
and CUP-CI Vision for Governance in Côte d’Ivoire
DJCI and CUP-CI’s vision for the Côte d’Ivoire
is one of inclusive democracy; responsible, clean, and
transparent governance; respect for the rule of law ; economic
pragmatism ; and close cooperation, both regionally within the
country and internationally. DJCI and CUP-CI also envision a
democratic model that incorporates time-tested Ivorian and
African concepts and traditions.
Some of the most important features of the model
for Côte d’Ivoire governance envisioned by DJCI and CUP-CI
are:
a)
Ethnic inclusiveness. Aware of the important contribution
of past immigration to the development of the Côte d’Ivoire,
DJCI and CUP-CI place a high priority on fostering a climate of
ethnic inclusiveness and equal rights for all citizens. This, of
course, includes gender equality in all respects. DJCI and
CUP-CI do not acknowledge the existence of any legal differences
among those holding Ivorian citizenship.
b)
Substantial regional autonomy . Considering the need for
a substantial degree of regional autonomy in the country, DJCI
and CUP-CI recommend the implementation and the extension of the
present system in order to enable it to provide a real autonomy,
without jeopardizing the integrity of the republic.
c)
Traditional Ivorian values. “Allons
à l’arbre à palabre” expresses a commitment to a
deliberate process of collaborative problem solving, in which no
decision is taken until all relevant viewpoints have been aired
and understood. This respectful and thoughtful way of handling
the challenges of life has served our people well for a long
time. It will do so again, especially in the painstaking work of
rebuilding our state institutions and healing the wounds of war.
d)
An educated citizenry.
The respect of the constitution by elected officials is a
fundamental principle in democracy. Before Ivorians go to the
polls, they must be reached and informed by a powerful
educational campaign that instructs them on the rights and
duties of democratic life. In addition, the last decade of
violence and instability has robbed this generation’s youth of
the education needed to hold jobs, create small businesses, and
take full charge of their own well-being. A populace that knows
only fighting cannot create a healthy and peaceful society. This
makes providing job and literacy training to members of the
warring militias an urgent priority.
e)
A commitment to healing the wounds of war. The wounds of
war include post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a prolonged
subconscious shock state that erodes physical, mental, and
emotional well being. War wounds also include the hatreds that
are generated by each side’s violence against the other. South
Africa has modelled a powerful process for healing those kinds
of wounds. The Côte d’Ivoire should be inspired by this
example.
f)
A living Constitution written for the good of all parties and
born of genuine, inclusive, and ongoing dialog truly
expressing the needs and dreams of the Ivorian people.
A significantly decentralized structure, or even a
federal structure, would better address the differing needs of
the regions, while providing the cohesion that lends strength to
the nation as a whole.
g)
A solid economy. Cote d’Ivoire, being rich in natural
resources, situated on the sea, and blessed with an educated and
diligent citizenry, has most of the essential factors required
to support a thriving economy. To achieve our economic potential
we urgently need to establish peace.
We need to prevent selfish leaders from
exploiting our national resources for their personal
benefit at the expense of the nation.
We need to eradicate corruption and establish a strong
and ethical rule of law to attract foreign investment to assist
our development. An important additional
part of creating this solid economy will also include
reparations to those who have lost so much through war.
3)
Critical
Needs to Meet In Realizing This Vision
There are many important needs that must be met to
implement the vision of DJCI and CUP-CI for the Côte
d’Ivoire. At this moment four main needs stand out: (a) the
need for a change in Ivorian leadership; (b) the need for
ongoing international peace keeping assistance; (c) the need for
economic stabilization and development; and (d) the need for
thoroughness and patience in state building.
a)
The
Need for a Change in Ivorian Leadership
DJCI and CUP-CI assert that creating a sustainable
peace with any of the current leadership in place is unlikely.
Through their actions these leaders have made themselves
unsuitable for public office. They have proven themselves
opposed to peace, amplifying ethnic, racial, and religious
violence, and threatening the survival of the state. The introduction and exploitation of the exclusive nefarious
concept of ‘Ivorité’, primarily as a tool for personal
political gain, has thrown our country into its current course
of self-destruction.
No party has evidenced any real commitment to the
Linas-Marcoussis and Accra Peace Agreements—which despite its
lack of progress are still considered by the international
community as the key to re-establish peace in the country.
From the consultations it has conducted, DJCI and
CUP-CI are aware that a significant segment of the Ivorian
population concurs with these assessments, and longs for a
peaceful and fundamental change.
It is therefore regrettable that the Prime Minister
mandated by Resolution 1633 still needs to operate within the
Linas-Marcoussis framework.
DJCI is of the view that Mr Konan Banny will be able to
fulfil his mandate with greater success if he is freed from this
constraining framework, and is allowed to appoint a purely
technocratic and non-partisan government.
b)
The
Need for International Peace-building Assistance
Solving the current situation and laying a deep
foundation for authentic peace and stability requires a thorough
overhaul of the Ivorian political system. That would be a
formidable job under the best of circumstances. Given the array
of opponents against peace, and the anger, pain, destruction,
and divisions caused by over a decade of violence, DJCI and
CUP-CI believe that the resolution of the current situation
requires very strong outside help from the international
community.
No sovereign country willingly invites foreign
intervention into its affairs. Yet, DJCI and CUP-CI are of the
view that the Côte d’Ivoire has no other option at the
present time than to be placed under a temporary UN de-facto
tutelage. Only in this way will we be able to successfully
correct the damage done to our country by the conflict of the
past years and lay the foundations for the success we feel our
country is able to achieve.
We are thus not afraid to say that we require an
even stronger UN peace enforcing and peace keeping presence in
the Côte d’Ivoire at this time.
They must effectively disarm rebels and paramilitary
forces and ensure security and the authority of the government.
We also feel that a unified UN command for all foreign troops is
required. We
therefore call on the Security Council to further increase UN
troop presence and strengthen and extend their mandate for a
sufficiently long term.
Experience in other conflict situations has proven
that merely separating combatants is only the beginning of what
is needed to construct a sustainable peace. A reconstruction
process must also provide civic education, a national
reconciliation process, and combatant demobilization. But even
this alone will be insufficient. The damage done to our society
and to our state institutions is such that we also require
entering into a temporary partnership with the international
community to assist us to manage our state reconstruction
process and set the conditions for our economic recovery.
Bringing outside help will make available valuable expert
experience that will benefit the Côte d’Ivoire enormously.
DJCI feels that it will be helpful to openly acknowledge and
accept the present de facto situation that our full sovereignty
has temporarily been placed in abeyance.
c)
The
Need for Economic Stabilization and Development
Historically fertile and wealthy in natural
resources, Côte d’Ivoire has enjoyed an excellent economy
based on produce exports. With peace and stability, there is no
reason why we should not have that again. Providing a hospitable
climate to restore Côte d’Ivoire as a prime West African
destination for foreign investment requires policies that ensure
legal certainty, clean governance, appropriate administrative
regulations, bureaucratic efficiency, and fiscal incentives. In
addition, government policy should ensure that economic activity
is sustainable and environmentally friendly, and that it
contributes to social development and the equitable distribution
of wealth. It should also favor the economic interaction and
integration of Côte d’Ivoire with its regional neighbors in
West Africa, no less than the world beyond.
In this crucial time, it is also important to
devote sufficient effort to reintegrating into the society those
who have been combatants in the recent conflicts.
It must be clearly understood that these are people who have
been frightened and incited to violence by lying and
power-hungry political leaders manipulating for their own
profit. They have been robbed of their educational opportunities
and these must be restored to them insofar as it is possible to
do so. They have an important role to play to regenerate this
country and it is crucial that we do all that is necessary to
equip them for that important task.
d)
The
Need for Thoroughness in State-building
This document has already outlined the basics of
the governmental structures we envision, but this point bears
repeating:
Following a thorough approach to constructing
stable and effective state institutions is crucial to realizing
the potential of Côte d’Ivoire to develop into a successful
and prosperous democracy.
No superficial or cosmetic substitute will do. We must make
clear to outside benefactors, the international community that
the cost of an unstable Côte d’Ivoire vastly outweighs the
short-term costs required to do a proper job at the outset.
With adequate support, Côte d’Ivoire’s
prospects for success are excellent. Historically open,
tolerant, and friendly toward immigrants until incited into
ethnic violence, Côte d’Ivoire welcomed large numbers of
industrious and enterprising immigrants from the region and as
far a field as West Asia and Europe.
All of these communities, as citizens and permanent
residents, helped to create one of the most dynamic economies of
West Africa. There is no reason why this success cannot be
repeated and expanded in future.
*
* *
Realizing the vision described and meeting these
needs will require a two-phase transitional strategy:
(1)
a stronger peace-enforcing international intervention, and
(2)
the establishment of a state-reconstruction transition
government in partnership with the international community.
The remainder of this document outlines the
Transitional Government as DJCI and CUP-CI envision it, and then
specifies major next steps required to reach our vision.
4)
A
Transitional Government for Côte d’Ivoire
We see the current process of appointing a Prime
Minister with enlarged powers under Security Council Resolution
1633 as a valuable measure. However, given the obstacles he is
facing from the current political class, we have doubts that he
will ultimately be able to succeed. Therefore, as a further
incremental step in temporary UN intervention and a natural
sequel to the current process, DJCI and CUP-CI envisage the
formation under a Security Council mandate of a Transitional
Government of the Côte d’Ivoire (TG-CI) bringing together
Ivorians in partnership with the international community.
Members of this government would be local and Diaspora Ivorians
of proven competence and integrity, who were not tainted by
their involvement with any of the conflicting parties.
The state-reconstruction of the Côte d’Ivoire
could be a suitable undertaking for the new Peace
Building Commission of the UN, which is currently being
formed in order to deal with a growing number of post-conflict
situations such as the one in the Côte d’Ivoire. The
propitious conditions existing in the Côte d’Ivoire suggest
that such a project could lead to a successful result, setting a
valuable precedent for other cases in need of peace building
success.
As DJCI and CUP-CI envision it, the TG-CI would
identify five regions (North, West, Center, East and South,
corresponding to the major ethnic and economic divisions of the
country) and then set up an administrative system that is
decentralized enough to provide maximum local autonomy
consistent with the integrity of the nation. As soon as this
system is in place, planners will study the benefits of a future
federal government structure for the country that the people
could certify when voting on a new Constitution, to be written
by representatives of all citizens of Côte d’Ivoire.
The proposed Transitional Government of the Côte
d’Ivoire would include representatives of all ethnic and
religious groups and comprise these elements:
§
Presidium: The highest executive authority in the country
approved by the UN Security Council.
§
Ministerial Cabinet: A small Executive comprised of
qualified Ivorian professionals.
§
Legislature: Initially, legislative duties would be
performed by an Advisory Council appointed by the Presidium,
composed of Ivorian citizens of good standing and professional
competence. As soon as feasible, after sufficient civic
education has been provided to the population, citizens would
elect part of a transitional National Legislature.
§
Judiciary: To strongly eradicate existing corruption, and
ensure professionalism devoid of political, ethnic and religious
militancy, judges of proven competence and integrity must be
appointed by the Presidium. Strong emphasis is to be placed on
capacity building of the judiciary apparatus.
§
Public Service: Emphasize capacity building by increased
training programs for public servants.
§
Military FDS (Ivorian Forces of Defense
and Security): Under the command of the Presidium. With the
assistance of international advisors, the Ivorian military and
security forces will need to be restructured for improved
capacity.
Bringing this democratization process to a
successful conclusion will require a firm commitment of time,
international funding, and international investment in Côte
d’Ivoire. The transitional government must operate long enough
to achieve the reconciliation and state-strengthening
objectives. Once hostilities have ceased and investment begins
flowing back into the country, use of our own natural resources
should be able to generate the necessary funding;
until then, we must rely on our international benefactors.
Naturally, every effort will be made to minimize costs.
5)
Proposed Steps on the Road to Peace
1.
Augment the number of peace-enforcement forces
under UN command. Strengthen their mandate from interposition to
disarmament of rebels and militias. Assign them broad
responsibility for the security of the country and protection of
the authority of its government.
2.
Mount a nationwide information effort to enrol the
population and members of the political elite into supporting
the idea of a state-reconstruction transitional government in
partnership with the UN.
3.
Launch an intensive 3-month campaign to reach the entire
country with information about the true background of the
artificially instigated current Ivorian conflict. The purpose of
this campaign is to empower the people to resist further
incitements to foment communal violence.
4.
Appoint an Executive for the TG-CI with broad powers
answerable to the UN Security Council, preferably through an
institution like the current (GIT) International Working Group
on the Ivory Coast. It should be appointed for an initial period
of up to two years, extendable if so required.
5.
Set up and make operational all TG-CI branches and
institutions
6.
Conduct intense national reconciliation campaigns
and activities.
7.
Reintegrate combatants by assessing needs,
formulating educational programs, and arranging for micro-credit
facilities to support new businesses.
8.
Launch intensive efforts to build capacity in all
areas of governance.
9.
Improve basic human health, education services.
10.
Promoting
domestic and foreign investment-led economic development.
11.
Establish
intense civic education programs.
12.
Hold
elections for interim regional and central legislative
assemblies to function during the TG-CI phase.
13.
Select
the members of the new Constitutional Commission and get them to
begin work, making sure the resulting document reflects a
genuine commitment to the well being of all constituents of the
country.
14.
Hold
a nationwide referendum to ratify the new Constitution, allowing
the people to express their preference for a new name for the
country, the Republic of Ebournie, a name more appropriately
reflecting the country’s historical past.
15.
Conduct
national elections as stipulated by the new Constitution.
16.
Return
to full sovereignty for the country under the new name of
Republic of Ebournie. Inauguration of its new elected government
(expected in early or mid 2008).
December
30, 2005
DJCI
and CUP-CI
President Modeste G. Seri
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