Martine Aya Djibo (died 30 October 2022) was an Ivorian educator and politician who served in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

from 1975 until 1980 and from 1990 until 2010. Although initially a member of the PDCI-RDA party, she defected in 2004 and founded the Party for the Unity of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, citing frustrations with the party amid the

First Ivorian Civil War The First Ivorian Civil War was a Civil war, civil conflict in the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) that began with a Armed Forces of the Republic of Ivory Coast, military rebellion on 19 September 2002 and ended with a peace agreement on 4 March 20 ...

Career

Djibo began her teaching career in the central city of

Bouaké Bouaké (or Bwake, N'Ko script, N’ko: ߓߐ߰ߞߍ߫ ''Bɔ̀ɔkɛ́'') is the second-largest list of cities in Ivory Coast, city in Ivory Coast, with a population of 740,000 (2021 census). It is the seat of three levels of subdivisions of Ivory ...

. After initially teaching Spanish at Martin Luther King College and CEG Koko, she later became the director of the Modern College for Young Girls. A member and activist of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast – African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), Djibo was appointed to the

by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny in 1975, becoming the first woman to represent Bouaké. Djibo served in parliament until 1980. After leaving parliament, Djibo resumed her teaching career; in 1985, she became the principal of the Municipal College of Bouaké, and in 1988, she was appointed principal of the newly-opened Municipal High School by Education Minister . In the 1990 Ivorian parliamentary election, Djibo was elected back into parliament for the same constituency. In 1996, she sat as the Ivory Coast's representative on the council of the

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; , UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing g ...

. At some point during this period, she also served on the

politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the PDCI-RDA. During her tenure in the 2000s, Djibo was a supporter of President Laurent Gbagbo. In 2004, she was critical of politicians who aligned with rebels fighting against Gbagbo's government in the

, stating that Gbagbo was "elected and chosen by the people". On 12 December 2004, due to frustrations with her party and the ongoing civil war, Djibo defected from the PDCI-RDA and founded a new party, the Party for the Unity of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (PURCI). Serving as the party's president, Djibo stated that the party would be centered on "the

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

flove, unity and peace". PURCI was a member of the coalition. Djibo supported the 2007 Ouagadougou Peace Agreement, praising Gbagbo's role in ending the civil war and stating that the agreement was proof that "Africans in general and Ivorians in particular can think for themselves and find a solution to their problem" without European interference. However, in the leadup to the 2010 Ivorian presidential election, Djibo was opposed to the presence of Burkinabe soldiers in the Ivory Coast, a provision of the peace agreement to ensure election security. Djibo stated that the country already had peacekeepers from the

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and

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, and that the presence of the Burkinabe soldiers was suspicious. Djibo also accused the of tampering with voter rolls, and demanded an audit which would reinstate anyone who was removed. Djibo served in parliament until 2010 and retired from politics, citing health issues. Djibo was an officer of the French National Order of Merit, and served as the president of the Association of Ivorian Women. She died on 30 October 2022 at the 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 ...

, after suffering from a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Djibo, Martine 20th-century births 2022 deaths Date of birth missing Year of birth missing Place of birth missing People from Bouaké 20th-century Ivorian educators Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire – African Democratic Rally politicians Members of the National Assembly (Ivory Coast) 20th-century Ivorian politicians 20th-century Ivorian women politicians 21st-century Ivorian politicians 21st-century Ivorian women politicians Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Delegates to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly