The Ivorian Republican Guard (french: Garde républicaine de Côte d'Ivoire) is an independent military formation in the Ivory Coast that is responsible for protection of government officials and buildings. It is one of the most well equipped units in the
Armed Forces of the Republic of Ivory Coast
The Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (french: Forces Armées de Cote d'Ivoire; "FACI")
are the armed forces of Ivory Coast.
History
The Ivorian military has its roots in the colonial armed forces of French West Africa, which were headquartered ...
.
History
In early 2017, President
Alassane Ouattara
Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) In May 2017, soldiers in the guard revolted over a pay dispute.
Description
The Republican Guard (GR) support the military cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic in the same way as the Presidential Security Grouping (GSPR), the elements of which come from the land forces. The Republican Guard is responsible for security and honor missions for the benefit of the high authorities of the State and institutions. It is the only armed force authorized in national palaces. The guards are present at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan, the Senate and the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
in
Yamoussoukro
Yamoussoukro (; , locally ) is the ''de jure'' capital of Ivory Coast and an autonomous district. As of the 2014 census, Yamoussoukro is the fifth most populous city in Ivory Coast with a population of 212,670. Located north-west of Abidjan, th ...
, and the office of the Prime Minister and in the main ministries. Led by a general of the army corps, it is composed of a general staff, and 2 Groupings (one in Abidjan and one in Yamoussoukro), consisting of 2,500 men.
Republican Guard Band
It was on 1 October 1985 that the band was created with 65 volunteers at its beginning their duties in early December 1987. Today, it includes 100 musicians distributed in 3 ensembles: harmony, fanfare drums and orchestra. Its mission is to ensure military honors during the travels of the President of the Republic. It has commonly been associated with the French Republican Guard Band and has received French training as well. The current head of the band is Vladimir Any-Grah.