Cross-border Violence as an External Stress: Policy Responses to Cross-border Dynamics on the Border between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia

The focus of this research is the border region between Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. The protracted violence which has affected the region for many years stems from the internal conflicts which afflicted both countries at different times, and which had regional dynamics and implications. Western Côte d’Ivoire acted as a proxy battleground in the first Liberian civil war (1989–96), and the region is the birthplace of the military and political crisis that affected Côte d’Ivoire from 2002 onwards. An inaccessible and neglected region, it has acted as a training ground and base for rebel groups and security forces, and it is local people who have borne the brunt of the insecurity.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) and networks have a vital role to play in monitoring progress in bilateral and regional efforts to address security, and in holding governments to account for commitments in this area. With sufficient political will, they can also act as a bridge between security forces and communities, building on established relationships of trust in the affected regions.