Starting this Monday, July 13, 2026, demolition equipment will be in operation in several sub-districts of Attécoubé. The municipality's stated objective is to eradicate unauthorized construction on high-risk sites in order to prevent further human tragedies as heavy rains approach.

The urgent need to prevent further tragedies

The municipality of Attécoubé is taking action. After issuing eviction notices between July 10th and 11th, the town hall is launching a large-scale eviction operation. Faced with the precarious state of the housing and the threat of landslides—still marked by the painful memory of the Mossikro tragedy that claimed the lives of more than twenty people—the municipality cites the need for public safety and the restoration of urban order.

The five areas targeted by this operation:

1. Nematoulaye
2. Djéné Écaré
3. Health 3
4. Fairmont City
5. Attécoubé (centre)

A precise schedule spread over two weeks

The municipal administration has meticulously planned the operations. After residents were given strict three-day notice to save their belongings, the deployment on the ground will be gradual.

Demolition schedule

Between vital prevention and social distress

While the technical and safety justification for the operation is obvious — constructions on steep slopes or on the edge of ravines turning into death traps every rainy season — the social reality on the ground proves to be complex.

For a predominantly low-income population, often living in makeshift housing, the imminent eviction notice comes as a devastating blow. Despite promises to save lives, the prospect of becoming homeless is causing intense anxiety among local residents.

The challenge of relocation: Although the city council has mobilized its technical, financial, and socio-cultural departments, as well as the Neighborhood Restructuring Committees (CREQ), to oversee the process, the final fate of the evicted families remains uncertain. No formal guarantee of a temporary relocation site or financial assistance has yet been confirmed.

A test for urban management in Ivory Coast

This large-scale operation in Attécoubé is being closely monitored by the central authorities. In a national context marked by rapid urbanization and the proliferation of informal settlements, the management of this local crisis could serve as a model—or a warning sign—for other Ivorian municipalities facing the same climatic and structural challenges.