By Abu Bakarr Bah. African Affairs, August 2010.
Côte d’Ivoire’s electoral obstacles frequently center on the idea of Ivorian citizenship, which has been repeatedly used in political conflict to conflate ethnicity, religion, ancestral roots, and politics with national citizenship and political legitimacy. During peacebuilding efforts in Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere, such challenges are often overshadowed by an emphasis on security, aid, power sharing, and elections. However, overall progress has only limited effectiveness when the root problem of citizenship remains unaddressed.
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