Source : Sahel weather December 2024 

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The year 2024 was marked by a turbulent political landscape, with electoral conflicts on all sides. Scheduled for October 2025, the presidential election is presented as an election with many unknowns. It remains to be seen whether or not the current president will run for another term, let alone who the opposition candidates will be. As a result, the spectre of uncertainty hangs over what promises to be a turbulent electoral contest.

And as is the case every year, the final day was an opportunity for political leaders to deliver their messages to the Ivorian people. Guillaume Soro's exit caused quite a stir. During his online meeting on December 31 with his militants and supporters, the former president of the National Assembly announced his candidacy for the next elections. From Mali, where he is in “exile”, he took advantage of the audience to thank the SSA presidents who “enabled him to return to Africa”. The former rebel leader has been absent for 6 years following his 20-year sentence for an attempted coup.

On the other hand, during his address to the nation on the evening of December 31, Alassane Ouattara announced the retrocession of the French army base in Abidjan. According to the President of Côte d'Ivoire, “...we have decided on a concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces from Côte d'Ivoire...the camp of the 43rd Bima, the Marine Infantry Battalion of Port-Bouët, will be retroceded to the armed forces of Côte d'Ivoire from this month of January 2025”. He decided to name the camp after General Ouattara Thomas d'Aquin, to honor the historic career of this former soldier, the first Chief of General Staff of the Ivorian army.

This move comes at a time when security cooperation with countries such as France is undergoing a period of upheaval, as is the case with the SSA countries and even other French-speaking states such as Senegal. A study by the Timbuktu Institute on local perceptions of security cooperation shows that 74% of respondents have complaints about external partners, notably France (Report published January 2025). For some time now, relations between states and former colonies such as France have been undergoing profound changes. While some countries have already withdrawn their foreign armies, others are in the process of finalizing the process.

The political front in turmoil

Meanwhile, the leader of the Parti Démocratique de Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI) also spoke out on this solemn New Year's Eve occasion. Taking advantage of the podium, he set out his ambitions and loudly proclaimed his desire to transform Côte d'Ivoire into a prosperous, united nation. He shared with his fellow citizens his dream of “transforming our country, building a nation where we are proud of the education given to our children, proud of our freedoms, proud to be the architects of a society where neither violence nor fear have their place.”

Laurent Gbagbo, for his part, stated earlier this month that he would not give up his fight to be reinstated on the electoral roll. His conviction resulted in the loss of his civil and political rights. Taking advantage of a large crowd that had come to welcome him to his native village, Gadougou, he affirmed that he would take up the fight again and resume the march to stand for election by his fellow citizens in 2025.

On the diplomatic front, after Burkina Faso, Niger is accusing the Ivorian army of contributing to the military training of so-called Niger irredentists who have taken refuge in Côte d'Ivoire, according to General Tiani, who answered journalists' questions in an interview. The Ivorian army's response was to deny the allegations, which it considered to be spurious, in a new accusation of destabilization. “The Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, which remain focused on the defense and security of Côte d'Ivoire, take issue with these serious accusations made without any evidence by the head of the junta in Niger...” reads a statement from General Doumbia, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire. This new diplomatic tension augurs disturbing developments between these two countries, and risks further destabilizing the sub-region.