The Ouagadougou Political Accord: Imminent divorce or the renewal of vows

The Ouagadougou Political Accord, signed in March 2007 to end the Ivorian civil war, has largely stalled due to a lack of political will. While it established a cohabitation government between President Gbagbo and Prime Minister Soro, critical milestones including disarmament (DDR), population identification, and voter registration remain incomplete. The document describes the process as a struggle for control over the state's security and economic institutions, with elections delayed beyond January 2008. It highlights the influence of Burkina Faso as a mediator and the ambivalent role of France, while warning that a rupture in the Gbagbo-Soro alliance could destabilize the region.

• The Ouagadougou Political Accord, signed on 4 March 2007 in Burkina Faso between the government and the Forces Nouvelles rebels, was intended to resolve the Ivorian crisis and avoid the ramifications of UN Security Council Resolution 1721. While it led to the appointment of Guillaume Soro as prime minister and some symbolic reconciliation gestures, the main technical components—disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), the identification process, and the compilation of the final electoral register—have seen little to no progress.
• The slow implementation of the Accord is attributed primarily to a lack of political will rather than financial constraints. The process is viewed as a struggle for control over the state's security apparatus and avenues of accumulation. Specifically, President Gbagbo seeks to maintain power through elections, while Guillaume Soro aims to secure identification papers for northerners to ensure their political voice and dignity.
• The identification process has been severely hindered by disputes over the use of mobile courts and the role of technical agencies. Although 111 mobile court teams were planned, only 33 were effectively deployed by late 2007. There is significant disagreement over the appointment of SAGEM as the private agency for issuing identity cards, with some arguing it should report to the National Institute of Statistics (NIS), which is under government control.
• The Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process is stalled due to disagreements over the number of combatants, military grades, and the sequence of events. The Forces Nouvelles, estimated at 42,564 troops, initially insisted on receiving identification documents before disarming. Current disputes center on whether rebel military grades should be maintained upon integration into the National Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire (FANCI).
• The redeployment of the administration has seen partial success, with 26 out of 28 préfets installed in the north and 106 out of 296 sous-préfets redeployed as of 18 September 2007. However, tensions exist between Prime Minister Soro and Interior Minister Désiré Tagro regarding security in rebel-controlled areas, with Soro refusing the deployment of loyalist police or gendarme in the north before the peace process ends.
• Presidential elections, originally called for by the end of January 2008, are unlikely to occur before the end of 2008. The political opposition, including the PDCI-RDA and RDR, has unified under the Rassemblement des Houphouëtistes pour la démocratie et la paix to defeat Gbagbo, while Gbagbo is perceived to be in a strong position to win if he can avoid a united northern vote or a run-off stage.

APA

Ayangafac, C. (2007). The Ouagadougou Political Accord: Imminent divorce or the renewal of vows. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREPOUAGA.PDF

Chicago

Ayangafac, Chrysantus. The Ouagadougou Political Accord: Imminent divorce or the renewal of vows. Institute for Security Studies, 2007. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREPOUAGA.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ayangafac |first1=Chrysantus |title=The Ouagadougou Political Accord: Imminent divorce or the renewal of vows |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=11 December 2007 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREPOUAGA.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ayangafac2007ouagadougou, author = {Ayangafac, Chrysantus}, title = {{The Ouagadougou Political Accord: Imminent divorce or the renewal of vows}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2007}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SITREPOUAGA.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }