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Resource November 5, 2012

Journalist Austin Merrill on War, Peace and Cocoa in the Ivory Coast

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In Ivory Coast—the world’s top cocoa producer—cocoa farmers bore the brunt of a civil war that...

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Young children play with tent poles at the Nahibly refugee camp outside of Duekoue, Ivory Coast, on March 7, 2012. Duekoue was the site of heavy fighting and a large massacre that saw hundreds dead during last year's post-election violence, and many people still refuse to leave the relative comfort and security of the refugee camp to return home. Image by Peter DiCampo. Ivory Coast, 2012.

Journalist Austin Merrill describes his history with Ivory Coast, why he chose to return, and some of the unfortunate surprises he found as he reported on the country's uneasy post-war status.

While their hope was to document steps toward justice and reconciliation, Merrill and photographer Peter DiCampo saw more signs of bitter rivalry, wounds that have yet to heal, and further trouble ahead.

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Peace Initiatives

Peace Initiatives