The Portuguese had first dip at Ivory Coast in the 1700's to set up stations for trade. Then the Dutch, British and French soon followed. So it was one of the four that had aspirations to make Ivory Coast their colony for trade. Ivory Coast regained it's independence in 1960. There are two main governments, one is junta style that supports military rule, the other supports reconciliations. Ivory Coast has one of the richest agricultural resources on planet earth as I understand it. If it isnt the French having a stronghold in the region, it would be either the Portuguese, British or Dutch. Making no excuses for the French, it is just the way it is from my standpoint.
