Côte d’Ivoire
Section III. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom
A bishop from the United Methodist Church during the Church’s 13th Ordinary Annual Conference on March 18 called on the president to enable the repatriation of all citizens still in exile following disputed national elections in 2010 and to release all political prisoners. He said that political leaders should put the nation’s interests and the people’s wellbeing ahead of their own. On August 6, the president announced an amnesty for 800 persons linked to the post-electoral crisis, leading to the release of 300 individuals from detention.
Christian and Muslim religious leaders, civil society, and political leaders took part in the sixth Interreligious Conference for Peace hosted by the Sant’Egidio Community in Abidjan on October 21. Local religious leaders stated they agreed to work together to fight the causes of conflicts, one of which they labeled as religious fanaticism.
Individuals regularly celebrated each other’s religious holidays by attending household or neighborhood gatherings, regardless of their own faith. For example, in August Minister of Urban Areas Albert Francois Amichia, who is Christian, attended the Eid al-Adha celebration at the Treichville mosque with Muslim believers.