Ibrahim Coulibaly

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Photo of Ibrahim Coulibaly, a.k.a. "Major IB"

Ibrahim Coulibaly (24 February 1964 – 27 April 2011)

Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire, Coulibaly had served since at least the early 1990s.[2] As Côte d'Ivoire slid into communal conflict, Coulibaly joined the 1999 coup led by Robert Guéï. A second coup, following 2000 elections that made Laurent Gbagbo President, saw Coulibaly in a leadership position, after which he came into conflict with fellow military leader Guillaume Soro. During the ensuing eight years of division in the country, Coulibaly came into conflict with both sides, eventually returning to lead an Abidjan-based militia supportive of Alassane Ouattara. Following the end of fighting, Coulibaly was killed in Abidjan by Ouattara's forces during an attempt to disarm his group.[2] Known popularly as "IB", he was 47 years old at the time of his death.[2]

Early career

Ibrahim Coulibaly was born in 1964 in

Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. Here he became involved in politics and came to meet higher-ranking officers who would eventually be involved in the 1999 Ivorian coup d'état.[1]

1999 coup

Ibrahim Coulibaly became known as one of the leaders of the December 1999 coup that deposed President Henri Konan Bédié and brought military leader Robert Guéï to power. It was Guéï who first appointed Coulibaly to a political position, naming him military attache to the Ivorian Ambassador to Canada.[1] When it became clear Guéï wished to continue in power after planned elections, a September 2000 assassination attempt was reputedly planned by members of the military.[1] Coulibaly, implicated in the plot, fled the country.[1]

Ivorian Civil War

The contentious October 2000 elections, in which Ouattara was disqualified, thwarted Guéï's attempt to remain in power and made

Blaise Compaore.[1] In September 2002, Coulibaly returned to the north of Côte d'Ivoire, helping lead a partially successful coup against Gbagbo's government. Coulibaly's faction, one of many on the rebel side, held territory in and around Bouaké before both sides fell into a stalemate that became the First Ivorian Civil War.[1] Various factions were uneasily united in the northern-based Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire, led from Bouaké. In August 2003, he was arrested in Paris under suspicion of seeking to destabilize the Ivorian government, but he was released on bail in September. In June 2004 fighting broke out between his followers and those of rival rebel commander Guillaume Soro. In January 2005, Coulibaly expressed support for efforts by the African Union
at mediating the political crisis.

Coulibaly's associates were allegedly responsible for the

assassination attempt on Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro in June 2007.[3]

On December 30, 2007, the New Forces (former rebels) accused Coulibaly of attempting a coup on the night of December 27–28. It said that he had moved towards the Côte d'Ivoire-

Bouake led to the death of Seydou Traore, who the New Forces said was working for Coulibaly as the "central coordinator of the conspiracy". Those involved in the clash who were captured were said to have identified Coulibaly as the leader of the plot.[4]

Arrest warrants

France and Côte d'Ivoire have both issued international arrest warrants for Coulibaly. On March 10, 2008, a trial of Coulibaly, involving his alleged plot to seize power and kill Gbagbo with mercenaries in 2003, began in Paris. Coulibaly was tried in absentia; his lawyers said that they did not know where he was. 12 co-defendants were on trial with him, and most of them were present, having been arrested in France in mid-2003.

2008 presidential election.[6]

The French court found Coulibaly guilty of "heading or organising a group with mercenary objectives", and sentenced him in absentia to four years in prison on June 4, 2008. Five of his co-defendants were acquitted and the remaining seven were given sentences lighter than Coulibaly's.[7]

2010–2011 Ivorian crisis

In January 2011, Coulibaly appeared as the reputed head of a militia group opposed to Laurent Gbagbo.

Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire) began operations to disarm militias on both sides, including Coulibaly's.[2][8][9][10] On 27 April 2011, according to an Ivorian defense ministry spokesman, Coulibaly was killed by FRCI forces.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "IB", putschiste en chef d`une Côte d`Ivoire troublée (Portrait). AFP, 2011-04-28
  2. ^ a b c d e f Serme Lassina, "L'ex-putschiste Ibrahim Coulibaly a été tué à Abidjan, selon la télé ivoirienne", The Associated Press, 27 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Ivory Coast arrests French journalist accused of 'subversive activities'", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), January 6, 2008.
  4. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire: l'ex-rébellion accuse "IB" d'avoir tenté un "coup d'Etat"", Agence France-Presse, December 30, 2007 (in French).
  5. ^ "Début en France du procès de l'ex-chef rebelle ivoirien Ibrahim Coulibaly", Agence France-Presse, March 10, 2008 (in French).
  6. ^ "IIbrahim Coulibaly refuse d'aller à son procès à Paris", Agence France-Presse, March 11, 2008 (in French).
  7. ^ "Ivorian 'coup plotter' found guilty", AFP (IOL), June 4, 2008.
  8. ^ "Abidjan: les forces pro-Ouattara s`emparent du fief de l`ex-putschiste "IB"", Agence France-Presse, 27 April 2011
  9. ^ "Abidjan: pour les forces pro-Ouattara, "IB" reste invisible", Agence France-Presse, 27 April 2011.
  10. ^ René Dassié, "Ibrahim Coulibaly : un caillou dans la chaussure d’Alassane Ouattara ? Le chef du « commando invisible » est un professionnel des coups d’État", Afrik.com, 21 April 2011.
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