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The Hidden Threat to Africa's Most Promising Economy

Feb 22, 2017 | 09:30 GMT

The Hidden Threat to Africa’s Most Promising Economy
Despite its newfound prosperity, Ivory Coast is still grappling with the effects of a conflict that ended half a decade ago.

(SIA KAMBOU/AFP/Getty Images)

Mutinies aren't unheard of in Ivory Coast, but lately they have become much more common within the country’s persistently underfunded military. Since Jan. 6, a spate of revolts has broken out among Ivorian forces, temporarily wreaking havoc in at least 10 different cities across the West African country. The latest bout of unrest, which began on Feb. 7, even involved members of an elite special forces unit. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara has tried to placate the renegade troops by meeting some of their demands, but his acquiescence has only spurred new claims and public airing of grievances from other parts of the military. The unrest offers a rare glimpse into the deeper structural issues plaguing Africa's fastest-growing economy that, if left unaddressed, could threaten the country's stability ahead of its next presidential election in 2020....

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