SubSaharan Africa 423
government wanted to reinstall the recently deposed leader. Despite a border incident
in which one Guinean soldier was killed, Guinea backed down.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from March 16, 1966.
MID#1352
Dispute Number: 1352
Date(s): February 19, 1967 to September 25, 1967
Participants: 438 Guinea/437 Ivory Coast
Outcome (and Settlement): Compromise (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: On February 19, 1966, an Ivory Coast vessel allegedly entered Guinean
waters in an attempt to kidnap President Nkrumah. Guinea seized the vessel and 22
crew members and charged them with violating Guinean waters. In early March, Libe-
rian Vice President Tolbert attempted to mediate, but he was unsuccessful. On June 26,
Ivory Coast retaliated by arresting Guinea’s foreign minister and UN representative
when they landed at Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast demanded the release of the
detained crew and of Francois Kamano, an Ivory Coast official who was implicated in
a 1965 coup plot. Guinea accused KLM of conspiring with the Ivory Coast to divert
the plane. Guinea then placed the Dutch diplomatic staff in Conakry and local KLM
staff under house arrest and requested intervention from the UN secretary-general and
Organization of African Unity (OAU) administrative secretary-general. On June 30,
Algeria, Mali, and Mauritania, Tanzania, and Congo-Brazzaville also requested the
UN secretary-general’s intervention.
The secretary-general requested that Ivory Coast release the diplomats and that
the Liberian ambassador in Abidjan check on their well-being, and in July he sent a
special representative to Conakry to provide good offices. On July 7, Guinea accepted
mediation from Liberia, and three days later Ivory Coast also accepted under the
condition that Mali and Niger also be involved. However, Ivory Coast continued
to demand the release of the trawler and its crew. On July 28, the secretary-general
announced that international agreements on diplomatic immunity compelled Ivory
Coast to release the diplomats even if Guinea continued to hold the trawler, but
August Ivory Coast disavowed this argument on August 11. The secretary-general
asked the Security Council for alternative means to resolution four days later, and
Guinea announced that it would suspend its participation in the principal UN organs
until its diplomats were released.
In the second week of September the OAU requested Liberia to “pursue its media-
tion efforts.” On September 21, Guinea released the crew, and on September 25,
Guinea released the trawler and Ivory Coast released the diplomats. However, Guinea
still sought remedy through the United Nations. On September 27, Guinea requested
UN help in resolving the dispute, but the General Assembly declined to take action
because the detainees were already free. Instead, on December 18, the General
Assembly passed a resolution calling on its members to observe diplomatic immunity.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from February 17, 1967. Outcome changed from
Compromise.