The 2001 Ivorian coup attempt was a failed

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

in the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

by dissident factions of the Ivorian military trying to topple Laurent Gbagbo's government. The coup attempt began on the night of January 7 when rebel forces staged attacks on state broadcast facilities and the presidential residence in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...

, airing out the message "Dear compatriots, dear Ivorians. The country has undergone another change." after successfully seizing the broadcasting stations. The following clashes between government forces and the dissident soldiers caused at least six deaths, including two policemen. The rebel forces were routed and driven away from state radio stations in the city. In the retaken radio stations, government ministers issued a broadcast reassuring the country that the coup attempt had been foiled. A three-day long curfew was imposed following the attempted coup and Felix Houphouet Boigny airport was also closed momentarily. In the end, government forces had arrested forty soldiers involved in the coup attempt and detained them. The coup attempt, led by Ibrahim Coulibaly (IB), came to be known as the Black Mercedes Plot, named after the command vehicle IB used. The government implicated the supporters of

Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician and economist who has been List of heads of state of Ivory Coast, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, he worked for the I ...

, who was disqualified from participating in the

2000 Ivorian Presidential Election Presidential elections were held in Ivory Coast on 22 October 2000. Robert Guéï, who headed a transitional military regime following the December 1999 coup d'état, stood as a candidate in the election. All of the major opposition candidates e ...

, of being behind the coup attempt, suggesting potential motives could be grievance over his exclusion from the elections due to contested claims of foreign birth. The party spokesman for Quattara's party

Rally of the Republicans The Rally of the Republicans (; abbreviated RDR) is a liberal party in Ivory Coast (). The party is the country's governing party; the party's leader, Alassane Ouattara, is the current President of Ivory Coast. History The RDR, which has mos ...

denied such involvement, saying "We have understood the insinuation, I think they could take advantage of a situation like this to settle their score with us."

References

{{African coups d'état Military coups in Ivory Coast Ivorian Coup Attempt, 2001 Conflicts in 2001 2000s coups d'état and coup attempts January 2001 in Africa