Student Federation of Côte d'Ivoire

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Côte d'Ivoire

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The Student Federation of Cote d’Ivoire (FESCI) (French: Fédération estudiantine et scolaire de Côte d'Ivoire ) is a youth and student organization in Côte d'Ivoire that human rights organizations accuse of being a violent gang controlled by President Laurent Gbagbo’s Ivorian Popular Front (FPI).[1]

Founded in the early 1990s as a student union, the FESCI was banned by the government of Henri Konan Bedie. Prominent past members included Charles Blé Goudé (Secretary general of FESCI 2001-2003, and later founder and leader of the l’Alliance de la jeunesse patriotique which, like the FESCI, was involved in xenophobic street violence during the civil war) and Guillaume Soro (Secretary general of FESCI 1995-1998[2], now Secretary general of the Forces nouvelles group which rebelled against the ruling party).[3]

After 1999, the FESCI supported the ruling party, and has been blamed in numerous acts of violence and dozens of murders of the political opponents of the FPI amid waves of attacks on individuals seen as foreign. Human Rights groups also allege the FESCI runs protection rackets[4] for businesess, students, and scholars operating on the nation's university campuses. The opposition press refers to the group as Fescistes, a play on the word fascists.

In December 2006, Serge Koffi was elected head of the FESCI, which was seen as an internal split between the new leadership, entitled the ’Coalition pour la réhabilitation de la FESCI (COREF)’’, and seen to be controlled by Kacou Brou[5] and on the other hand, its former patron Charles Blé Goudé and his supporters Jean Yves Dobopieu, Ahoua Stallone and Dacoury Richard.[6] Early 2007 saw public disorder between these factions, including gunplay on the nation's university campuses.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Actes de barbarie répétés FESCI, la milice estudiantine de Gbagbo Le Patriote No. 2290 23 May 2007
  2. ^ Côte d'Ivoire | Biographie de quelques hommes politiques
  3. ^ IvoireDiaspo FPI : Bataille pour le contrôle de la FESCI 10 January, 2007.
  4. ^ Le Nouveau Réveil Dérive fesciste : Les élèves et étudiants de Célia versent sous la contrainte une partie de leur bourse aux Fescistes N°1300, 14 April 2006
  5. ^ Le Matin d'Abidjan crise a la fesci - Kacou Brou dit KB : " On n`a pas besoin de ce conflit inutile" 10 January, 2007.
  6. ^ IvoireDiaspo CRISE au sein de la Fesci/ Koffi Serge, secrétaire général : Le mal c’est Blé Goudé 17 January, 2007