Origin of the conflict
Having been a French colony for years, the Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) gained independence in 1960. Its political history is closely knit with Felix Houphouët-Boigny’s career who, as the leader of the Parti Democratique de la Cote d’Ivoire – Rassemblement Democratique Africain (PDCI/RDA), became president of Côte d’Ivoire  when it gained independence until his death in 1993. During these years the Côte d’Ivoire  enjoyed a political stability other African nations did not have. However, since Houphouët-Boigny’s successor and fellow party member Henri Konan Bédié came to power there have been civil unrests. Due to corruption and bad governance foreign aid was diminished in 1998 and 1999 which eventually in 1999 lead to the first ever coup in the Côte d’Ivoire.¹

Chronological timeframe
After a bloody coup in 1999, Henri Konan Bédié was replaced by Robert Guéï. Guéï formed a government of national unity and promised to have open elections which were held in 2000 and provoked considerable civil unrest; the first results indicated that Laurent Gbagbo of Front Populaire Ivoirien (FPI) was at the winning hand. Guéï stopped counting the votes, announced there had been fraud and declared himself president. Within a few hours Gbagbo supporters filled the streets of the capital Abidjan, resulting in a bloody fight. Because Gbagbo had won the majority of the votes he became president.
In 2001 a new coup attempt ended a short period of relative peace. New elections were held (this time without trouble) and Gbagbo remained in power. Daily life slowly turned to normal and gradually financial aid came in from the West.² In 2002 new rebellions broke out once more, due to bad governance and corruption. A failed coup attempt was made by rebels who felt discriminated by Gbagbo’s administration. A civil war ensued between the government troops from the Christian South and the Islamic rebel fractions from the North. After peace negotiations in 2003 it was agreed to form a government of national unity under the authority of president Gbagbo. To maintain peace, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent peace troops, alongside with UN-troops and French military.
fAfter a short period of calm, president Gbagbo was repeatedly accused of endangering peace; the rebels no longer recognised his authority after Gbagbo fired three ministers of the opposition in May 2004.³ Tensions culminated when Gbagbo ordered a bombing on rebel camps in 2006 in which nine French UN soldiers died. The civil war claimed thousands of casualties, caused 150.000 refugees and 400.000 displaced persons within the Côte d’Ivoire.⁴ Early in 2007 a new peace treaty between the rebels and the government was signed in Burkuna Faso and a new government was formed. The people in Côte d’Ivoire  still live in insecurity; there is no legal order and there are still many weapons in private hands. The future also remains insecure; the slow implementation of the treaty and especially the continuous delaying of new elections could lead to frustrations and new tensions.⁵     

Actors involved
• Ivorian Armed Forces (FANCI: Forces armées nationales de Côte d'Ivoire): These are the official government forces, also called loyalists. They are essentially formed since 2003.
• The Young Patriots: nationalist groups aligned with President Laurent Gbagbo
• Mercenaries recruited by president Gbagbo, consisting of Belarusians (allegedly) and former combatants of Liberia, including under-17 youths, forming the so-called "Lima militia".⁶
• Forces Nouvelles (FN): ex-northern rebels, who hold 60% of the country.
• French military forces: Troops sent within the framework of Operation Unicorn and under UN mandate (UNOCI). 3000 men were sent in February 2003 and 4600 in November 2004.
• Soldiers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and White helmets from the UN.
 

Response of the international community
Before the war, under president Felix Houphouët-Boigny, the Côte d’Ivoire  had a good relationship with the West. Henri Konan Bédié, Houpthouët-Boigny’s successor, had good ties with the United States. Foreign aid was however reduced due to corruption and bad governance. During the war, ECOWAS and the UN, supported by France, tried to maintain peace and security.

Sources
1 http://www.historyofnations.net/africa/cotedivoire.html 
2 http://www.historyofnations.net/africa/cotedivoire.html 
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_coast
4 http://www.vecip.com/default.asp?onderwerp=1396 
5 http://www.vluchteling.org/pagina/ivoorkust 
6 http://www.hrw.org/legacy/english/docs/2005/03/30/cotedi10404.htm