Côte d’Ivoire continues to recover from an armed conflict that ended in 2011. Several root causes of that conflict remain, including ethnic and regional tensions, land disputes, corruption, and impunity. While an outbreak of violence during the 2020 electoral period represented a significant setback, civil liberties have been better protected in recent years, and civil society and the political opposition have operated more freely since that year’s election.

• In May, the African Peoples’ Party–Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) designated former President Laurent Gbagbo as its candidate for the October 2025 presidential election, despite the fact that a criminal conviction barred him from participating. The country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), was expected to nominate international banker Tidjane Thiam, who had been elected as party leader in late 2023. It remained unclear at year’s end whether incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, 82, would seek a fourth consecutive term as the nominee of the ruling Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP).
• In June, the president issued an executive order that imposed new restrictions on nongovernmental organizations—including a requirement to submit reports on their activities—and empowered the government to dissolve groups that it deems a threat to public order or national interests, among other vague criteria.
• For several weeks beginning in September, a hostile campaign by social media influencers contributed to a series of violent attacks on LGBT+ people, with more than 45 assaults reported in Abidjan by early November.
• Authorities in Abidjan continued to implement a program of forcible evictions and home demolitions during the year, focusing on areas that were determined to be at risk of flooding. Businesses and schools were also destroyed, and human rights groups reported that thousands of people were displaced without adequate notice or compensation.
• The country remained a destination for people fleeing a conflict between Islamist insurgents and the military in Burkina Faso, with more than 60,000 Burkinabe taking refuge in Côte d’Ivoire as of late 2024.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.