Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 085 | Wed 08 Dec 2010

Like Sudan and Nigeria, Ivory Coast is divided by a volatile ethnic-
religious fault-line. Whilst the less-developed North has long been
predominantly Muslim, the South — Ivory Coast’s economic and political
engine — has historically been predominantly Christian and African
Traditional Religion (ATR). Decades of mass immigration (1960-1993) from
the neighbouring Muslim states of Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea might have
been great for the economy, but they have tipped the demographic balance
so that Ivory Coast — officially about one-third Muslim — is actually
majority Muslim.

The civil war that erupted in September 2002 was portrayed by the
international media as a crisis of democracy and human rights caused by
Southern xenophobia and Islamophobia. In reality, Ivory Coast’s crisis is
the consequence of decades of Muslim mass immigration coupled with
political ambition and an internationally-sponsored Islamic agenda. The
civil war was fought essentially between those who want all Ivory Coast’s
Muslim immigrants naturalised — giving Ivory Coast a Muslim majority
overnight — and those who do not. Though he denies it, former Prime
Minister Alassane Ouattara, a Northern Muslim, was doubtless behind the
September 2002 failed coup that triggered the war. Ouattara and his party,
the Rally of the Republicans (RDR), have been playing the race and
religion cards for political gain. Ouattara’s intent has been to have all
the Muslim immigrants naturalised (over 4 million: estimated to comprise
between 30 and 40 percent of the total population) so that he (their
champion) can dragnet the Muslim vote. Ouattara has long had his eye on
the presidency.

The civil war left Ivory Coast totally polarised, split between a
virtually ethnic-religiously cleansed, rebel-controlled Muslim North and a
government-controlled predominantly Christian, non-Muslim South. Since the
war the North has been in serious decline with AIDS, poverty and
lawlessness increasing exponentially. In November 2004 Ivory Coast’s
Christian president, Laurent Gbagbo, launched surprise airstrikes against
rebel positions in the North in an attempt to reunify the country.
However, former colonial power France (which backs the rebels for economic
gain) intervened, razing all IC’s airforce planes, destroying runways and
sending tanks against the Presidential Palace, around which loyalists
formed a human shield.

The West had insisted that Ivory Coast could be reconciled, reunified and
essentially saved by means of democratic elections, such is their faith in
‘democracy’ and the inherent goodness of man. In reality, the divisions
are so profound and the stakes are so high that, unless genuine
reconciliation occurred first, elections could only trigger conflict.
Elections were held on 28 November 2010, with both Gbagbo and Ouattara
claiming victory. The US, European Union and African Union have recognised
Ouattara as the winner and called for Gbagbo to respect democracy and step
down. Russia meanwhile is blocking a UN statement that would recognise
Ouatarra, saying that this is not the UN’s role. Ivory Coast’s non-Muslims
are traumatised, fearing that their homeland — once the most prosperous
‘Christian’ nation in West Africa, home to the region’s largest cathedral,
home-base to most of West Africa’s regional Christian ministries — is
about to come under Muslim political domination.

(COMMENT: Ivory Coast’s crisis — the consequence of decades of Muslim
mass immigration — is a foretaste of what several states in democratic
Europe may be facing in a generation or two.)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR GOD TO:

* give Ivory Coast’s Christian leaders — pastors and politicians —
great spiritual wisdom and authority.

* bring revival to the Church in Ivory Coast so believers will be
compelled to go out with the gospel in boldness, empowered by the
Holy Spirit, so that Ivory Coast might be spiritually transformed.
For only then will the peoples ‘beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks . . .’ (Isaiah 2:4 ESV)

* intervene in the tense climate by interposing a spirit of restraint,
compelling the people to seek a negotiated solution as a means of
averting another destructive civil war — a war that would certainly
attract international jihadists.

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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IVORY COAST ON THE BRINK OF WAR

Ivory Coast held elections on 28 November 2010 and both the incumbent
Christian president Laurent Gbagbo and his Muslim opponent Alassane
Ouattara are claiming victory. The US, European Union and African Union
have recognised Ouattara as the winner and Gbagbo is being called upon to
‘respect democracy’ and step down. The stakes are extremely high. Decades
of Muslim mass immigration has tipped the demographic balance so that
Ivory Coast — officially around one third Muslim — is now actually
majority Muslim with immigrants from Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea
comprising up to 40 percent of the population. Ivory Coast’s non-Muslims
are traumatised, fearing that their homeland — once a strategic Christian
centre — is about to come under the political domination of Muslims. War
threatens. Please pray for the Church in Ivory Coast.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ .

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
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