The First Ivorian Civil War began in September 2002. In response to defense agreements with Côte d'Ivoire, dating back to independence, France deployed a military force under Opération Licorne. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also deployed a military force the ECOWAS Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (ECOMICI). These two military forces were to serve as peacekeepers and were later tasked to keep the factions of the civil war separated while the January 2003 Linas-Marcoussis Agreement was implemented.[3] In May 2003, the United Nations Security Council determined that the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire continued to be a threat to international peace and security and passed United Nations Security Council Resolution 1479 establishing the United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire.[1] This mission was to complement the mission of the existing French and ECOWAS forces.[4]
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