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Annual celebration held in the context of the crisis in the run-up and aftermath of last month's elections, which left 85 people dead in the West African nation
By Guy Aimé Eblotié | Ivory Coast
Pope Francis has prayed for the people in Ivory Coast, that God may grant them "the gift of national harmony".
The pope offered his prayers after praying the Angelus from his study window overlooking St. Peter's Square this past Sunday, as the more than 26 million inhabitants of the West African nation were observing a National Day of Peace.
It took place in the context of a deadly electoral crisis that gripped Ivory Coast.
Francis called on "all the sons and daughters of this beloved country to collaborate responsibly for reconciliation and a peaceful coexistence".
He also urged "the various political actors to re-establish a climate of mutual trust and dialogue in the search for just solutions that protect and promote the common good".
It was a difficult day for people in Côte d'Ivoire, as the country is known by its French name.
"Are we truly converted?" wondered Isabelle N'Guessan, as she came out of church on Sunday.
She recalled the images of the pre- and post-election violence that left 85 dead and hundreds injured between August and November in several cities.
"I cry and I don't know if I should say 'never again!' because history repeats itself over and over again; politics is destroying my country," she lamented.
"The tragedy is that almost everyone, including the politicians, says they are believers," N'Guessan said.
A new cycle of violence broke out after President Alassane Ouattara announced on August 6 that he would run for a third term. The opposition protested, saying it was against the Constitution.
Anti-Ouattara demonstrations first erupted in Abidjan, the country's economic capital. Other cities in the interior were repressed by security forces.
The protests continued after Ouattara's nomination was validated by the Constitutional Council. Opponents then tried to stop preparations for the October 31 elections.
These demonstrations, which were repressed by the security forces, turned into inter-community clashes.
An election under tension
The elections, which the opposition boycotted, were held in an atmosphere of tension and violence. In the end, Ouattara was declared the winner, having received 94.27% of the vote and with a turnout of 53.90%.
The opposition did not even wait for the final results. It said it no longer recognizes Outarra as Head of State and on November 2 it announced the creation of a "National Transition Council" chaired by former President Henri Konan Bédié, leader of the opposition.
Tension rose again in opposition strongholds whose leaders were placed under house arrest or imprisoned for "plotting against state security and acts of sedition".
Ouattara invited Konan Bédié to meet him on November 11 and since then calm has returned.
Can we claim to be a country of peace?
"We note that all these pre- and post-electoral and inter-community crises are due to political manipulation and divergence," said Élie Brice Bossonan, a lawyer and an Evangelical.
"Can we claim to be a country of peace?" he asked.
"It is nevertheless paradoxical that the first president of this country sponsors a prize for the search for peace in the world, and that we are not able to preserve a lasting peace in Côte d'Ivoire," Brice Bossonan said.
Nonetheless, he remains optimistic.
"Ivoirians are fundamentally peace-loving, which makes me optimistic about the celebration of this day dedicated to peace," the attorney said.
Hoping beyond hope. Despite some anxiety, that's the same attitude Ismael Soro is taking.
"To still believe in peace in my country? I don't know anymore because I am still in pain for my country," says Soro, who is a Muslim.
"God respects our choice and our freedom. We cannot pray for peace while our hearts are meditating on hatred," he insisted. "Grieving families continue to mourn their children who have not yet been buried."
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