Post¬- Election Violence

There were expectations that the Ivory Coast presidential election in November 2010 would put an end to the North¬South divide that had emerged in the country since the 2002 civil war. Instead, the election exacerbated tensions and aroused concerns of another outbreak of civil war and even genocide. The power struggle between the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, and opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, has now escalated into violent clashes between the respective supporters of the two political camps. The violence has caused 173 deaths and thousands of Ivorians to flee to neighbouring countries for fear of the situation escalating to a fullscaleconflict. Leaders of West African countries are trying to mediate the situation and broker a peaceful settlement. In spite of this, the impasse continues.