Religious Conflict: Religion has played a role in dividing parts of Africa. An Islamic resurgence was evident in a number of African countries. It surfaced in Ethiopia where Muslim tribespeople rebelled against a Marxist regime and eventually established an independent Eritrea.
More recently, in Nigeria and other nations of West Africa, divisions between Muslims and Christians have erupted into violence.The violence has lessened as local officials managed to craft compromise policies that limit some of the harsher aspects of Muslim law.The religious tensions that erupted in Nigeria have spilled over into neighboring states.
In 2002, an armed uprising split the nation into a Muslim, rebel-dominated north and a Christian, government-controlled south. A power-sharing deal brought temporary peace in 2007. It was also believed that a presidential election in November 2010 might bring a new unity. In November 2011, Gbagbo was arrested and sentenced to prison for crimes against humanity.
As in other African countries, civil war has devastated the economy of Côte d’Ivoire. The city of Abidjan once had a shining downtown. Now it is a jungle of darkened high-rise windows. Jobs have disappeared
Banks and businesses have closed, and food shortages are widespread.