Daloa is a city in western Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both the Sassandra-Marahoué District and the Haut-Sassandra Region. It is also the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Daloa Department. Daloa is also a commune. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 245,360, making it the third-largest city in the country. It lies to the west of Yamoussoukro, the capital of Ivory Coast. Daloa is an important trading centre, particularly for cocoa. The city is served by Daloa Airport and is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Daloa, with its cathedral at Cathédrale du Christ-Roi.
History Civil War
The town was repeatedly contested during the First Ivorian Civil War, which lasted from 2002 to 2004. Following the takeover of the town by the government on 16 October 2002, fifty civilians from the north were allegedly killed by government troops. Amnesty International described the killings as a "massacre", saying people in military uniform had killed people suspected of supporting the rebel Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire. The killings were allegedly based on their Muslim names or that the victims were nationals of Mali, Burkino Faso or Guinea. Côte d'Ivoire authorities ordered an inquiry but stated government forces had not been responsible.Daloa massacres recall the spectre of Youpougon, Amnesty International, 28 October 2002, accessed 24 February 2012 However, no charges were brought and the Ouagadougou Peace Agreement in March 2007 between President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel leader Guillaume Soro incorporated a general amnesty for crimes committed in this time, except for crimes against humanity, war crimes and economic crimes.Ouagadougou Political Agreement, United Nations, 13 March 2007, accessed 24 February 2012
In February 2012, the International Criminal Court decided to investigate this incident.Ivory Coast rivals Soro and Gbagbo welcome ICC move, BBC, 24 February 2012
Politics
Administration List of successive mayorsDate of electionNamePartyStatus1980Zézé TapéPDCI-RDAElected1985Denis Bra KanonPDCI-RDAElected2013Samba CoulibalyRDRElected2018Gbeuly Stéphane AugusteRHDPElected2023Gbeuly Stéphane AugusteRHDPElected
Language The Bété language, a Niger-Congo language belonging to the Kru branch, is spoken in Daloa.
Villages The thirty four villages of the sub-prefecture of Daloa and their population in 2014 are:
Fauna At least 30 amphibian species are found in Daloa and its surroundings. The following frog species have been recorded in Daloa.Kouamé NG, Ofori-Boateng C, Adum GB, Gourène G, Rödel MO (2015) The anuran fauna of a West African urban area. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation 9: 1-14.
Arthroleptidae Arthroleptis spp. (Arthroleptis poecilonotus complex) Leptopelis spiritusnoctis Leptopelis viridis (very common near human settlements) Bufonidae Amietophrynus maculatus Amietophrynus regularis (very common near human settlements) Dicroglossidae Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (commonly sold in markets for human consumption) Hemisotidae Hemisus marmoratus Hyperoliidae Afrixalus dorsalis Hyperolius concolor concolor (very common near human settlements) Hyperolius fusciventris fusciventris Hyperolius guttulatus Hyperolius nitidulus Hyperolius picturatus Hyperolius sp. Kassina schioetzi Kassina senegalensis Microhylidae Phrynomantis microps Phrynobatrachidae Phrynobatrachus calcaratus Phrynobatrachus francisci Phrynobatrachus gutturosus Phrynobatrachus latifrons Pipidae Xenopus muelleri Ptychadenidae Ptychadena bibroni Ptychadena mascareniensis Ptychadena oxyrhynchus Ptychadena tournieri Ptychadena pumilio Ptychadena tellinii Ranidae Amnirana albolabris Amnirana galamensis
People People from Daloa include: the musician Ernesto Djédjé the academic, politician and short-story writer, Séry Bailly the historian and diplomat Pierre Kipré the Celtic footballer Vakoun Issouf Bayo
Twin towns Daloa is twinned with: Pau, France, since 1984 Campinas, Brazil, since 1982
References