<sod>  The official capital since 1983 is [[Yamoussoukro]]; however, [[Abidjan]] remains the administrative center.  Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan, although some (including the United Kingdom) have closed their missions because of the continuing violence and attacks on Europeans.  The population continues to suffer because of an ongoing civil war.  International human rights organizations have noted problems with the treatment of captive non-combatants by both sides and the re-emergence of child slavery among workers in cocoa production. Since the incident on [[September 19]], [[2002]] (see [[History of Côte d'Ivoire]], a '''civil war''' broke out, and the north part of the country has been seized by the rebels, the ''New Forces'' (FN).  A new presidential election was expected to be held in October, 2005.  However, this new election could not be held on time due to delay in preparation and has been postponed to October 2006 after an agreement was reached amongst the rival parties.
 
 ==Civil war==
In the early hours of [[September 19]], [[2002]] troops, who were mainly originally from the north of the country, mutinied.  They launched attacks in many cities, including Abidjan.  By lunchtime they had control of the north of the country.  Their principal claim relates to the definition of who is a citizen of Ivory Coast (and so who can stand for election as President), voting rights and their representation in government in [[Abidjan]]. The events in Abidjan shows that it is not a tribal issue, but a crisis of transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, with the clashes inherent in the definition of citizenship.
 Forces involved in the conflict include:
 * Official government forces, the National Army (FANCI), also called ''loyalists'', formed and equipped essentially since 2003
 * The ''Young Patriots'': [[nationalist]] groups aligned with president [[Laurent Gbagbo]]
 <eod> <sod> The official capital since 1983 is [[Yamoussoukro]]; however, [[Abidjan]] remains the administrative center.  Most countries maintain their embassies in Abidjan, although some (including the United Kingdom) have closed their missions because of the continuing violence and attacks on Europeans.  The population continues to suffer because of an ongoing civil war.  International human rights organizations have noted problems with the treatment of captive non-combatants by both sides and the re-emergence of child slavery among workers in cocoa production. Since the incident on [[September 19]], [[2002]] (see [[History of Côte d'Ivoire]], a '''civil war''' broke out, and the north part of the country has been seized by the rebels, the ''New Forces'' (FN).  A new presidential election was expected to be held in October, 2005.  However, this new election could not be held on time due to delay in preparation and has been postponed to October 2006 after an agreement was reached amongst the rival parties.
 
 ==Civil war==
In the early hours of [[September 19]], [[2002]] troops, who were mainly originally from the north of the country, mutinied.  They launched attacks in many cities, including Abidjan.  By lunchtime they had control of the north of the country.  Their principal claim relates to the definition of who is a citizen of Côte d'Ivoire (and so who can stand for election as President), voting rights and their representation in government in [[Abidjan]]. The events in Abidjan shows that it is not a tribal issue, but a crisis of transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, with the clashes inherent in the definition of citizenship.
 Forces involved in the conflict include:
 * Official government forces, the National Army (FANCI), also called ''loyalists'', formed and equipped essentially since 2003
 * The ''Young Patriots'': [[nationalist]] groups aligned with president [[Laurent Gbagbo]]
 <eod>