National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Military of Cote d'Ivoire |
|
|---|---|
| Military age | 15 |
| Available for military service |
3,743,353, age 15–49 (2000 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
1,952,882, age 15–49 (2000 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually |
182,936 (2000 est.) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $94 million (fiscal year 1996) |
| Percent of GDP | 1% (fiscal year 1996) |
The National Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (French: Forces armées nationales de Côte d'Ivoire; FANCI) is the armed forces of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). It consists the chief of staff and commander of the FANCI.
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[edit] Military regions
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Côte d'Ivoire is divided into five military regions, each commanded by a colonel:
- The army has the majority of its forces in the First Military Region concentrated in and around Abidjan, its principal units there being a rapid intervention battalion (airborne), an infantry battalion, an armored battalion, and an air defense artillery battalion.
- The Second Military Region is located in Daloa and is assigned one infantry battalion.
- The Third Military Region is headquartered in Bouaké and is home to an artillery, an infantry, and an engineer battalion (however rebels currently control this city).
- The Fourth Military Region maintains only a Territorial Defense Company headquartered in Korhogo ( however rebels currently control this city).
- The fifth region is the Western Operational Zone, a temporary command created to respond to the security threat caused by the civil war in neighboring Liberia.
[edit] Gendarmerie
The gendarmerie is roughly equivalent in size to the army. It is a national police force which is responsible for territorial security, especially in rural areas. In times of national crisis the gendarmerie could be used to reinforce the army. The gendarmerie is commanded by a colonel-major and comprises four Legions, each corresponding to one of the four numbered military regions, minus the temporary military operational zone on the western border.
[edit] Navy
Côte d'Ivoire has a brown-water navy whose mission is coastal surveillance and security for the nation's 340-mile coastline. It has two fast-attack craft, two patrol craft, and one light transport ship. It also has numerous smaller vessels used primarily for traffic, immigration, and contraband control within the lagoon system.
[edit] Air Force
The Ivory Coast no longer has any aircraft remaining in its Air Force. Until 2004, when French attacks appear to have destroyed all of its aircraft, it was believed to have in its inventory 2 Alpha Jets, 12 transport/utility aircraft, and 5 helicopters.
Two jets belonging to the Ivorian Air Force were destroyed by the French military in retaliation for an Ivorian military attack on a French military base on November 6, 2004.[1] French forces destroyed other aircraft, including three Mil Mi-24 helicopters and two Sukhoi Su-25 ground-attack aircraft.
Since 2004, efforts to put together some form of inventory have led to possibly as many six aircraft being in service by the end of 2006. It is unknown whether any of these aircraft are truly operational.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-32 Cline |  Ukraine |
tactical transport | 1 | ||
| Cessna 421 |  United States |
utility | 1 | ||
| Eurocopter SA 365 Dauphin |  France Germany Spain |
utility helicopter | SA 365C | 2 | |
| Gulfstream III | United States |
VIP | 1 | ||
| Mil Mi-24 Hind |  Russia |
attack helicopter | 1 |
[edit] International agreements
A mutual defense accord signed with France in 1961 provides for the stationing of French forces in Côte d'Ivoire. The 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion is based in Port Bouet adjacent to the Abidjan Airport and has more than 500 troops assigned.
[edit] References
- ^ "Ivory Coast seethes after attack", BBC News, 2004-11-04. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
- Further Reading: http://www.iss.co.za/af/profiles/IvoryCoast/SecInfo.html
