E/CN.4/2005/18/Add.3 page 6 military dimension of the situation, the Special Rapporteur was pleased to be able to meet Brigadier General Abdoul Hafiz, of MINUCI, General Doué Mathias, Chief of Staff of the Ivorian Armed Forces (FANCI), and his staff, and the commanding officer of the French forces of Licorne, General Juana. 4. A preliminary note on the Special Rapporteur’s visit (E/CN.4/2004/18/Add.4) was submitted to the Commission on Human Rights at its sixtieth session, pending finalization of this report. I. GENERAL OVERVIEW A. Ethno-demographic data 5. Côte d’Ivoire covers an area of 322,462 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 15.9 million. This is a State with a highly diverse population, comprising 66 ethnic groups, which can be classified into 4 major groups: the Akan (42.1 per cent), the Mande (26.5 per cent), the Gur (17.6 per cent) and the Krou (11 per cent). There is also a high level of immigration, with government estimates putting the foreign population - originating chiefly in the neighbouring countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Ghana and Liberia - at more than 3 million in 1988, or nearly 26 per cent of the total population.1 Côte d’Ivoire is West Africa’s leading country for immigration and its pivotal economic position, its ethnic and cultural diversity and its tradition of immigration make it a veritable microcosm of the region. This key factor cannot be overlooked either in the assessment of the ethnic dimension of the crisis, or in the search for a lasting solution. B. Historical and political background 6. From 1960, when it gained independence, until 1990, Côte d’Ivoire had a one-party presidential system. As President of the National Assembly, Henri Konan Bédié succeeded the country’s first President, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, upon the latter’s death in 1993, in accordance with the Constitution but in a political context marked by a power struggle that pitted him against Prime Minister Alassane Dramane Ouattara. President Bédié won the 1995 presidential elections, which were boycotted by some of the opposition parties, but was subsequently ousted in 1999 by a military coup that brought General Robert Guéï to power. In October 2000, Laurent Gbagbo assumed the Presidency following elections in which two of the biggest parties did not take part, and in a climate of extreme violence. In October 2001, the President organized a forum for national reconciliation to address the issues that had polarized the Ivorian people, including the questions of nationality and land ownership. 7. The current crisis erupted on 19 September 2002, with simultaneous attacks on military installations in Abidjan, Bouaké and Korhogo, a military operation that was viewed as an attempted coup d’état supported by foreign elements and countries and which led to widespread harassment and xenophobic violence against people considered to be “foreigners”. According to reports, some 20,000 people were made homeless in Abidjan following the destruction of dwellings, settlements and shanty towns housing many immigrant workers from neighbouring countries.