Ivory Coast – Heart of Darkness

This series of images are a mixture of photographs from various sources taken in the Ivory Coast in November 2002 – January 2003, the period of the highest tensions and the heaviest combats. The vast majority of the images are from the central western sector, from the city of Man where the Compagnie d'Eclairage et d'Appui (CEA, a support company) fought against the rebel forces, to the city Duékoué where the 1 st and 4 th Companies clashed with rebels groups.

The reason why I thought it might be of interest to post these images is to capture some of the instability of the African states, the former French and English territories being under constant threat of government overthrows and “coups d'état” which can leave a country under the control of a rebel dictator and plunge it into a civil war. Whilst all around the world the big push is towards economical growth, arms reduction and political cooperation, the African continent remains a politically unstable region: the “heart of darkness”.

Please be warned that some of these images are highly graphic nature and may be disturbing to some viewers.
Sgt. Z.B.

Pictures from Kepi Blanc magazine,
text Cpl. Z.B.: