Ex-combatant political engagement in post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire
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Date
08/07/2019Author
Berriault, Tobey Evonne
Metadata
Abstract
Why do some ex-combatants mobilise to make financial and material gains and
others do not? This thesis examines the political engagement activities of ex-combatants
in post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire. The activities examined include
opposition party politics, mutiny, protest, forming associations, and writing
letters. This research demonstrates that the choice of activity varies across
groups, with the primary determinant being their own perceptions of whether
they are the political ‘victors’ or the politically ‘defeated’ in the post-conflict
period. The main argument advanced is that both political loyalties and
proximity to political power impact collective and individual choices of
engagement strategy, and, at least partially, determine the degrees of success.
Whether ex-combatants perceive claims-making opportunities to exist is
shaped by their experiences and expectations of clientelistic exchanges with
political elites continuing into the post-conflict period.
Drawing from 12 months of fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire, from July 2016 – July
2017, this research reveals that ex-combatants with political loyalties to the
victorious rebellion of the Forces Nouvelles, were highly engaged in claims-making
for material and financial gain. Moreover, it reveals that within the
groups of Forces Nouvelles affiliated ex-combatants, those with closer
proximity to influential political actors experienced greater success in claims-making
than those at a distance. Contrary to this, ex-combatants with
sentiments of defeat restricted their political engagement to opposition party
politics, and in other cases, chose to disengage altogether. Situating the
fieldwork in this time period allows for inquiries into the nature of political
engagement in a relatively open and transitional space, as the post-conflict
Ivoirian government consolidates its exclusive hold on political and economic
power. The case of post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire shows that the greatest risk to
peace and stability comes from ex-combatants with the closest ties to political
power, rather than from those who feel disgruntled and side-lined. It shows that
ex-combatants who are closer to political power engage in highly destabilising
forms of political engagement, while those farther away, or out of favour, have
restricted their actions.
This thesis explores Ivoirian history and politics to understand how ex-combatants
perceive political opportunities and constraints in the post-conflict
period. In doing so, it contributes to academic discussions about post-conflict
compensation for wartime experience, ex-combatant political behaviour, and
finally, the transformative effects of violent conflict in reconfiguring social orders
in the post-conflict period.