“The Best School”
Student Violence, Impunity, and the Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire
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To the Ministry of Higher Education
To the National Bureau of FESCI
To Local Human Rights and other Civil Society Organizations
To the United States, France, the European Union, and other International Donors
General Background on the Military-Political Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire
Student Activism in the 1990s; from Clandestinity to Political Schism
Continued Clashes in the mid-1990s
FESCI and the Rise of Pro-Government Youth Groups and Militias
FESCI’s Structure and Organizational Culture
FESCI Activities and Violence Perpetrated Since 2002
Student Groups in Rebel-controlled Bouaké
Efforts to Curtail University Violence
Impunity and the Need for Justice
Direct and Indirect Support by Government
Why Little is Done to Hold FESCI Members Accountable
FESCI Crimes are Well-Known to Both the Government and the Public
Legal Responsibility of the Government
“Generation FESCI”: Implications for the Future
“FESCI is the best school for leaders there is. You come out battle hardened and ready to do politics. Ours is a generation that had to come to power one day, so if you see members of FESCI rising up, our view is that it was inevitable and came later than it should have. The arrival of this class will change politics.”
—Former leader of the Student Federation of Côte d’Ivoire, interviewed by Human Rights Watch, October 2007
May 2008 ISBN: 1-56432-312-9