THE
D.J.CI. AND CUP-CI PEACE PLAN PROPOSAL
The Côte
d’Ivoire (CI), until recently a showcase for successful
political and economic development in Africa, is currently being
torn apart by violence. Its primary cause is the “ivoirité”
policy of exclusion and intolerance that followed the death of
President Felix Houphouët Boigny. This unjust policy deprives
certain ethnic groups of equal citizenship rights, even if they
have lived in the CI for generations. It
has disrupted the country’s traditions of ethnic peace and
tolerance and fomented armed conflict, which is driving Côte
d’Ivoire toward political and economic ruin. Côte d’Ivoire
is rapidly becoming a failed state—and as such a potential
tinderbox, a situation that bodes ill for the rest of West
Africa. An
increasing flow of Ivorians is seeking refuge in neighboring
countries lacking the capacity to receive them, and who see
their stability threatened by these developments. The negative impact of the Ivorian conflict on their CFA
common currency is also threatening the West African region
economically.
The
deterioration of the situation is reflected in the gradual
increase in strength of measures adopted over the last two years
by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions aiming to
restore peace to the country.
Perpetuating
the conflict is a body of manipulations that have deceived
ethnic segments of the population into believing that other
ethnic groups threaten their very existence. This deceit has
been promulgated by the top members not only of the current
ruling class, but also by their political challengers. The
result is a perpetuation of ethnic violence. Thousands of young
people who have been conscripted into the fighting, lost jobs,
and now have no place else to turn are involved in it.
D.J.CI.
(Diaspora and Youth of Côte d’Ivoire) and CUP-CI (Citizens
for Unity and Peace in Cote d’Ivoire), free of entanglements
with any of the warring partisans, and unaffiliated with outside
parties that may seek to profit from the conflict, are proposing
this document as one possible, and more realistic, solution to
the CI conflict. This proposal is meant to encourage discussion
leading to the eventual formulation and adoption of a Peace Plan
that will restore unity, peace and prosperity to the Côte
d’Ivoire.
D.J.CI. and
CUP-CI are aware of the concerns and valuable efforts of members
of the international community including the US and France, the
UN, as well as of regional organizations like the African Union
and ECOWAS to resolve the current conflict in the CI.
Recent initiatives by the U.N. Security Council and
Secretary-General, the African Union, and South African
President Thabo Mbeki, deserve special praise.
However, we
have little faith that these efforts, however well conceived and
implemented they may be, will ultimately be able to succeed.
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 we believe time will show. With the current
Ivorean 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.
CUP-CI’s
purpose, 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.
This proposal
for a peace plan by D.J.CI. and CUP-CI calls on the citizens of
Côte d’Ivoire to: (1) reject all attempts to divide the CI;
(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
D.J.CI. 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 -- starting now-- to achieve that end.
The document is
organized into 5 sections, as follows:
1.
Brief description of D.J.CI. and CUP-CI
2.
Broad articulation of the shape of the eventual
government for CI that D.J.CI./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)
D.J.CI. and CUP-CI
2)
D.J.CI. and CUP-CI’s Vision for Governance in CI
D.J.CI. 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. D.J.CI. 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 CI governance
envisioned by D.J.CI. and CUP-CI are:
a)
Ethnic inclusiveness. Aware of the important
contribution of past immigration to the development of the CI,
D.J.CI./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. D.J.CI./CUP-CI
do not acknowledge the existence of any legal differences among
those holding Ivorian citizenship.
b)
Substantial regional autonomy under federalism.
Because each of the five ethnically distinct geographic regions
that comprise the country has differing needs and conditions,
D.J.CI./CUP-CI believe they should be able to govern themselves,
within the larger framework of the nation of Côte d’Ivoire,
in a way that reflects the interests of their citizenry and
culture. The regions must be set up in a way that respects the
integrity of each one without disadvantaging any of the others.
To D.J.CI./CUP-CI a federal state structure appears most
appropriate for the country.
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.
No democracy can long stand unless its people insist that
their elected officials adhere to the principles of its
Constitution. 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 modeled a powerful process for healing those
kinds of wounds. The CI 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 federal structure would 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
D.J.CI./ CUP-CI for the CI. At this moment four main needs stand
out: (a) the need for a change in Ivorian leadership; (b) the
need for international peace keeping assistance; (c) the need
for economic stabilization and development; and (c) the need for
thoroughness and patience in state building.
a)
The Need for a Change in Ivorian Leadership
D.J.CI./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-- measures taken by the international community
as the key to reestablish peace in the country.
From the
consultations it has conducted, D.J.CI./CUP-CI are aware that a
significant segment of the Ivorian population concurs with these
assessments, and longs for a peaceful and fundamental change.
b)
The Need for International Peace-Keeping 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. Today, given the
array of opponents against peace, and the anger, pain,
destruction, and divisions caused by over a decade of violence,
D.J.CI./CUP-CI believe the situation has passed the point where
our country can heal itself without outside help from the
international community.
D.J.CI./CUP-CI
believe that failing to ask for such international help carries
unacceptable risks. Without it we face almost certain total
destruction. The threats are
from within as well as from beyond our borders, as further
escalation of the conflict may provoke intervention from some of
our neighbors.
The outside
assistance we require can only be provided through the United
Nations. Even if no sovereign country willingly invites foreign
intervention into its affairs, D.J.CI./CUP-CI are of the view
that the Côte d’Ivoire has no other option at the present
time, if we wish to successfully correct the damage done to our
country by the conflict of the past years, so that we can lay
the foundations for the success we feel our country is able to
achieve.
With that
stipulation, we are not afraid to say, we require a sufficiently
strong U.N. peace enforcing and peace keeping presence in CI at
this time. Accordingly, we recommend increasing U.N.
peacekeeping troops to levels sufficient to control the pro-Gbagbo
militias, the ‘Ivorian Youth’ militias or Jeunes
Patriotes, and the government armed forces and keep them
separate from rebel forces. We trust that the convenience of a
unified U.N. Command for all foreign troops will be evident.
D.J.CI./CUP-CI
welcome the strengthening of U.N. military involvement as
stipulated by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1527 (2004), and
the sanctions to be imposed by Security Council Resolution 1572
(2004).
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
CI enormously. Such a process will require us to accept that
our full sovereignty needs to be temporarily placed in abeyance.
c)
The Need for Economic Stabilization and Development
Historically
fertile and wealthy in natural resources, CI 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 CI 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 CI 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 CI 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 CI vastly outweighs the short-term costs
required to do a proper job at the outset.
With adequate
support, CI’s prospects for success are excellent.
Historically open, tolerant, and friendly toward immigrants
until incited into ethnic violence, CI 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 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 D.J.CI./CUP-CI
envision it, and then specifies major next steps required
to reach our vision.
4)
A Transitional Government for Cote d’Ivoire
D.J.CI./CUP-CI
envisage the formation under a Security Council mandate of a
Transitional Government of the Côte d’Ivoire (TG-CI) bringing
together Ivoreans in partnership with the international
community. Members of this government would be local and
diaspora Ivoreans of proven competence and integrity, who were
not tainted by their involvement with any of the conflicting
parties.
The
state-reconstruction of the CI could be a suitable undertaking
for a new Peace Building Commission of the UN, should it
come into being. (Its creation --deemed necessary in order to
deal with a growing number of post-conflict situations such as
the one in the Côte d’Ivoire-- was recommended by the
Secretary-General commissioned High-level
Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change in December 2004).
The propitious conditions existing in the CI 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 D.J.CI./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 begin
laying the foundation for a future federal government structure
for the country that the people will certify when voting on a
new Constitution, to be written by representatives of all
citizens of CI.
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 U.N. 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 to
be placed on capacity building of the judiciary apparatus.
§
Bureaucracy:
Would seek to employ local personnel to the greatest
extent possible, and emphasize capacity building.
§
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 CI. 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.
Implementation of Security Council Res. 1572:
a.
Impose a 13- months embargo on arms and other supplies.
b.
Restrict movement of persons and funds that threaten CI
peace as determined by the Committee set up under paragraph 14
of the Resolution. This
should apply to both government officers and opposition leaders.
2.
Augment the number of peace-enforcement forces under U.N.
Command.
3.
Encourage the three current top political leaders to
retire from political life for the good of the country.
4.
Mount a nationwide information effort to enroll the
population and members of the political elite into accepting the
idea of a state-reconstruction transitional government in
partnership with the UN.
a.
Hold a comprehensive unity conference of leaders of all
main youth factions to discuss current crisis and propose
solutions, including the establishment of a transitional
government.
b.
Immediately following the youth conference, launch an
intensive 3-month campaign to reach the entire country with
information about the true background to the artificially
instigated current CI conflict. The purpose of this campaign is
to empower the people to resist further incitements to foment
communal violence.
5.
With CUP-CI providing leadership, bring together other
important civil society organizations to draw up and conduct a
massive nationwide drive for signatures on a petition demanding
the resignation of President Gbagbo and installation of a CI
Transitional Government in partnership with the international
community.
6.
Appeal to and encourage President Gbagbo to resign as an
indication of his commitment to the higher good of the country.
7.
Appoint a Transitional Government answerable to the U.N.
Security Council. Initially
for two years, extendable if so required.
8.
Set up and make operational all TG-CI branches and
institutions
a.
Conduct intense national reconciliation campaigns and
activities.
b.
Reintegrate combatants by assessing needs, formulating
educational programs, and arranging for micro-credit facilities
to support new businesses.
c.
Launch intensive efforts to build capacity in all areas
of governance.
d.
Improve basic human health, education services.
e.
Promoting domestic and foreign investment-led economic
development.
f.
Establish intense civic education programs.
9.
Hold elections for interim regional and central
legislative assemblies to function during the TG-CI phase.
10.
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.
11.
Hold a nationwide referendum to ratify the Constitution.
12.
Conduct national elections as stipulated by the
Constitution.
13.
Hold the ceremony to return full sovereignty to the new
elected CI government (Expected to happen some time late in
2007).
December
22, 2004
D.J.CI.
and CUP-CI
President Modeste G. Seri
Email: movD.J.CI.@aol.com
Tel/Fax: 212-283-8660
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