“They looked at his identity card and shot him dead” Six months of post-electoral violence in Côte d’Ivoire 9 2. A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION POSTPONED FIVE TIMES THAT PLUNGED THE COUNTRY INTO CHAOS 2.1. THE 2002 COUP ATTEMPT AND THE DE FACTO PARTITION OF THE COUNTRY In September 2002, a coup attempt led by some members of the security forces ended in the de facto partition of the country into a northern zone controlled by the armed opposition movement, known as the Forces nouvelles, New Forces, and a southern zone loyal to President Gbagbo. The de facto partition of the country was confirmed by the establishment of a buffer zone under the supervision of the French force Licorne. Within the framework of an attempted peaceful resolution of the conflict, the United Nations Security Council authorized in 2004 the deployment of the UNOCI peacekeeping forces, which currently numbers more than 10,000. These peacekeeping forces were also given responsibility for monitoring the human rights situation and helping "to protect civilians within its areas of deployment." 1 BOX 1 : UNOCI AND FRENCH TROOPS IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE : A CONTESTED PRESENCE International forces – both French soldiers of the Force Licorne and United Nations (UN) peacekeepers - have played a key role in Côte d’Ivoire since their intervention in this crisis. The legitimacy of their presence has been called into question by supporters of the then President Laurent Gbagbo in the wake of two very serious confrontations – in November 2004 and January 2006 – between Ivorian civilians, the majority of them unarmed, and international forces. During large-scale demonstrations and confrontations with civilians, who had the tacit and at times explicit approval of the security forces and some Ivorian politicians, international forces used lethal force in November 2004 and January 2006. Dozens of civilians were killed and injured. In both cases, the international forces maintained that they had acted in self-defence. Political parties and groups professing support for President Gbagbo have, for their part, repeatedly insisted that international forces fired live bullets at “unarmed demonstrators”. In a report published in 20062, Amnesty International called for the establishment of an international Index: AFR 31/002/2011 Amnesty International May 2011