Photo: Francis Abugbilla interviews Avraham Yago, leader of the Etz Hayim Synagogue in Abidjan, C’ôte d’Ivoire
By Francis Abugbilla
On September 19, 2002, a failed coup d’état in Côte d’Ivoire transformed into a military-political conflict that ravaged the country and divided it into two zones from 2002-2007.
When elections in 2010 resulted in the victory of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, sitting President Laurent Gbagbo declared the results to be invalid. Conflict erupted between Gbagbo’s government southern forces and Ouattara’s northern forces, which eventually led to the Second Ivorian Civil War in 2011. French and United Nations forces ousted and arrested Gbagbo in 2011.