Tensions are escalating between the Port-Bouët town hall and the Autonomous District of Abidjan. Behind the humanitarian crisis linked to the recent demolitions of neighborhoods, a war of letters reveals a deep political and managerial disagreement between Mayor Sylvestre Emmou and Minister-Governor Ibrahim Cissé Bacongo.

A battle of official letters

The tension, which had been simmering until now, erupted into the open with the leak of administrative documents. The two authorities are blaming each other for the eviction operations that have shaken the coastal district of Abidjan.

1. The mayor's cry for help (June 7, 2026): Sylvestre Emmou sent an official letter expressing his outrage at the mass demolitions in the sub-districts of Vridi 3 (Zimbabwe) , Toviato , and Vridi Canal . The municipality reports a heavy humanitarian toll, estimating that more than 100,000 people are affected, left homeless, with dramatic economic and health consequences.
2. The District's scathing response (June 29, 2026): Ibrahim Cissé Bacongo's office was quick to counterattack, denouncing "shady dealings" and a lack of consistency on the part of the mayor of Port-Bouët. According to the District, these operations are in response to a formal request... from the mayor himself, made as early as February 2024 to combat unsanitary conditions and insecurity.

Two visions of urban governance

Beyond the administrative dispute, a real clash of doctrines is taking place at the top of the Ivorian economic capital.

The Autonomous District of Abidjan accuses Sylvestre Emmou of duplicity in publicly condemning actions that he allegedly approved behind the scenes.

The institution headed by Cissé Bacongo has also sharply criticized the municipality, stating that it does not share the same conception of "human dignity" nor the same priorities in terms of managing the common good and urban development.

The outcome of the dispute: More than 100,000 people evicted in Port-Bouët, who have become the focus of a major political power struggle between the city council and the District of Abidjan.