# Opération Licorne begins (22 September 2002)

URL: https://allhistories.com/ivory-coast/timeline/2002-operation-licorne-begins
Location: Port-Bouët, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Themes: main-event

On 22 September 2002 French forces stationed in Côte d'Ivoire were reinforced and began to evacuate foreign nationals from Bouaké and to secure the main French interests. The operation was named Opération Licorne, or Unicorn. France had a military base at Port-Bouët and several thousand citizens in the country. Paris invoked protection of its nationals and avoided direct support for Gbagbo. The French force became a buffer along the ceasefire line between government and rebels and was later mandated by the United Nations Security Council in 2003. At its height it had around four thousand troops. Its presence provoked resentment among the president's supporters, who accused it of favouring the rebels, and it was involved in clashes in 2004. At the date of this event the principal authority over the largest part of present-day Côte d'Ivoire, by the convention of this dataset, lay with Laurent Gbagbo, President of Côte d'Ivoire (2000–2011). The government was headed by Prime Minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan. Licorne made France a central actor in the war and shaped Franco-Ivorian relations for years. The French presence shaped the course of the war, the later UN mission and Ivorian public opinion toward France for years, and its legacy persisted until the troops left their base.

## Why it matters
The French intervention turned an internal conflict into one involving former colonial power, regional bodies and the UN.

Ruler at the Time: [Laurent Gbagbo](https://allhistories.com/ivory-coast/rulers/laurent-gbagbo)

Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire: Pascal Affi N'Guessan

## Sources
- [Opération Licorne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opération_Licorne)
- [First Ivorian Civil War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Ivorian_Civil_War)
- [Ivory Coast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast)