Peace is a priority

A sense of normality and security is one of the keys to Côte d'Ivoire's renaissance. Internal security, with the normalisation of travel, transport, trade and family life. And with crime under control in the major cities, especially in Abidjan, where the figures remain consistent with the size of the megalopolis (relatively low, the number of homicides has fallen in recent years, from 273 in 2017 to 136 in 2022). Going out is no longer risky. However, there is also a desire to protect against external dangers. Although largely peaceful and at peace with itself, Côte d'Ivoire cannot ignore its regional environment, with the fragility of neighbouring Sahelian countries and the threatening presence of various jihadist terrorist groups. The terrorist attack on the beaches of Grand-Bassam on 13 March 2016, which claimed the lives of 19 people, including three Ivorian soldiers, marked a turning point.

The government embarked on a rapid modernisation of its security apparatus. The number of law enforcement personnel (police and gendarmerie) has been increasing since an ambitious programming law was passed in 2021. More resources are being allocated to the justice system: the country now has 727 magistrates, compared with 422 in 2017. And, since 2019, the Jacqueville International Academy for the Fight against Terrorism has established itself as a centre of excellence for training African executives. The Ivorian Armed Forces (FACI) now number around 22,000 men and women (army, navy, air force and gendarmerie), in addition to 5,500 members of the special forces, the cornerstone of the defence system. In his 2025 New Year's address, President Ouattara announced that France would hand back the camp of the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA). It will be named after the first Ivorian Chief of Staff, Thomas d'Aquin Ouattara (1916-1990). This is a revolution in defence for a country that was long one of France's main footholds in Africa.