This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @terresco: Abidjan : La vie sous un coup d'Etat - Fin

^{As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.}

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but @terresco, a French guy.

The 1999 Christmas coup d'etat had surprised us in a delicate situation, outside Abidjan and without communication. We made the decision to return to the capital, a difficult and stressful return in the insurgency situation of this Christmas day (see previous episode).

We were locked at home during the first day of curfew wondering what the future would be like. Let me remind you that this story is absolutely not a history lesson, just a testimony of how we experienced this event.

* * * * *

December 26th

First we had to try to reassure the family. The telephone worked perfectly locally but the long distance lines were mostly saturated, the message said. As always in Africa, everything always gets better when you start to no longer believe in it. We were able to speak briefly to our families. It removes the weight of not worrying anymore, thinking that our loved ones are worried about us. We suspected that the version they received through the media was much worse than the reality.

The international media have their own way of presenting things. It is a commonplace to say today that they are looking for the spectacular at the expense of information. The following summer, watching the recordings of the newscasts that my brother had kept for me, I did not recognize anything that I had experienced. Abidjan is big, we must not have been in the same neighborhoods as the journalists.

Contacting the Embassy to get information from a source that was more reassuring than the rumors we were referring to each other was a whole other set of games. Personally during the following days I never succeeded. Here again it is a purely personal and punctual experience, later when the problem will become more serious the evacuations were organized and worked well from what I heard from the friends still there.

We regularly heard some shots, often quite far but the situation seemed more peaceful at the end of the day of December 26th.

The next days

The next day, with my guard, we tried a first exit. Shy at first our steps eventually led us to the military checkpoint at the entrance to the neighborhood. The streets, during the day, began to find their natural animation. Armed with a few fresh beers and our most beautiful smile we went to try to sympathize with the military. The atmosphere was mostly relaxed.

Quickly the taxis are out, then the private cars. The curfew did not last very long if I remember correctly. We invited each other and slept on the spot, it was almost a funny change, an almost gratuitous adventure to tell later.

The instructions at the level of the new leaders were appeasement. At least I guess because the situation returned to normal very quickly. I will not go so far as to say that for the new year all was forgotten, the coup d'etat remained the inevitable conversation, but the end of year celebrations were held in calm.

The following months

The months that followed, rocked by the return to normal and not wanting to forget the beautiful life we ​​had, we were very positive. We wanted so much that the country that was paradise to us would not be spoiled (typical word that Ivorians often use for all that is deteriorating and not only the fruits). We wanted it so much that we did not know how to look at reality anymore, I realized later. Yet we profited as if everything could be taken away at once, if we lived 100% before, we had gone to 120%.

I remember seeing our departure date approaching we were sad, looking for some tricks that would have allowed us to extend our stay. Yet from time to time gunshots rang out far and wide, rumors circulated. We did not want to see or hear, do not touch our Ivory Coast! How could I not guess the future, while resuming my jogging and my motorcycle rides in the bush, I came across corpses, left there, killed by bullets. Like many others I thought my little energy would make up for political calculations. How naive I was!

The following years

My contract officially ended in June 2000. Do not question my courage, it was not a flight but the planned end of a 3-year expatriate teacher contract renewable once. I could not stay even if I wanted to. The rules of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which seem to me quite logical. I left thinking, as almost everyone also believed, that the situation would normalize. In farewell parties to friends it was us unfortunates who left this dream country.

I go quickly on the rest of the story because I did not live there. Our friends were there and we know it through them. Two years later, the 1999 coup d'etat seemed anecdotal. Slogans like: "To each his own white" crossed Abidjan, the helicopters and the French commandos proceeded to regroupings and evacuations.

Those who had gone had gone before but it must be understood that many had their entire life in Ivory Coast. Their spouse, their family, their property, their business, sometimes they were born there and felt more Ivorians than French, Belgians or others. The Europeans were not the only ones targeted, far from it, the Lebanese community and the Africans of the neighboring countries, in particular those from Burkina Faso were the victims.

* * * * *

The names of people and political parties change but these power struggles are always the same from one country to another. Their consequences, more or less cruel, are always suffered by those who asked nothing other than to live their part of life in harmony with themselves and their kind. These are devoured by the ambition of the bosses, we see that every day since the dawn of time but are unable to put all these greedy little chiefs in their place. And here I am not talking only about Africa.

The End

-- @terresco

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3