2002 — The Morning Côte d'Ivoire's War Began

On September 19, 2002, rebel soldiers launched coordinated attacks in Abidjan, Bouaké, and Korhogo, plunging Côte d'Ivoire into civil war. The government held Abidjan, but rebels seized Bouaké and much of the north within days, splitting the world's largest cocoa producer in two. Former military ruler Robert Guéï and Interior Minister Émile Boga Doudou were both killed in the first hours of fighting.

The rebellion was fueled by grievances over citizenship and land rights, with northerners feeling excluded by "Ivoirité" policies. The country remained divided between a rebel-held north and a government-held south until a 2011 military offensive ended the crisis.