Jean-Jacques Konadjé l COTE D’IVOIRE, THE PRICE OF POSITIVE PEACE peace. The Ivorian army, which in the 1980s was considered to be one of the best organised in the region, suffered the effects of the socio-political climate prevailing in the country. Increasingly, many soldiers have come to serve the same flag, but not necessarily the same men. This politicisation of the army, which was at the origin of its division, became more pronounced over the years. With the coup d'État of 1999, the Ivorian army was projected at the front of the political scene in the country. The ten months of military transition further exacerbated the dislocation of the defence tool. Some soldiers who played a leading role in the military coup d'État were arrested, imprisoned and tortured. Others were forced into exile. Moreover, it is the latter who became the leaders of the rebellion that broke out in 2002. The military transition was seen as a period of increasing disenchantment between the Ivorian people and their army. They described it as being brutal. General Guéï's desire to remain in power after the transition led to the elimination of candidates Alassane Ouattara and Henri Konan Bédié during the October 2000 election contests. It is in this socio-political and military context marked by upheavals that Laurent Gbagbo was elected President of the Republic of Côte d' Ivoire. Despite efforts to create a climate conducive to reconciliation and social cohesion, the country remained under intense political and military tension until the attempted coup d'État on 19 September 2002. This military operation turned into an armed rebellion. Thus, for eight years, Côte d' Ivoire was politically, administratively and militarily divided into two: on the one hand, a zone qualified as governmental, with about 40% of the national territory, headed by Laurent Gbagbo; on the other hand, the Central­North-Western part(CNO), controlled by the Forces Nouvelles, originally comprising the three main rebel groups: the MPCI (Patriotic Movement of Côte d' Ivoire), the MJP(Movement for Justice and Peace) and the MPIGO(Ivorian Popular Movement of the Greet West). The Ivorian crisis received particular attention from the international comm­unity. Several agreements and resolutions were signed to try to put an end to it. The presence of a French force, through Opera­tion Licorne, the deployment of the military forces of the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS), a United Nations mission and finally a United Nations operation in Côte d' Ivoire did not succeed in putting an end to the state of belli­gerence opposing the different anta­gonists. During this period, post-crisis programmes showed their limitations. Despite all these initiatives, the country remained in a“no war no peace” situation. At the end of this crisis, Côte d' Ivoire finds itself with an army that is more divided than ever before and a social cohesion that is falling apart. Thousands of Ivorians are in exile in neighbouring countries. Armed Ivorians, who are idle and have played an active role in the military dimension of the post-electoral crisis, must be urgently rein­tegrated into the socio-economic fabric of the country. Recognising that peace is one of the prerequisites for any socio-economic 8