Reporting from Abidjan, Fanny Naoro-Kabré uncovers the latest clash between local governance bodies.

The Plateau municipality has slammed what it calls an “unilateral action” by the Abidjan district office after nearly 350 million CFA francs worth of freshly completed infrastructure was demolished. Officials now fear further destruction of ongoing embankment works along the Ebrié Lagoon’s eastern shore. The city council plans to file an administrative appeal to halt demolitions and seek compensation.

District authorities, however, defend their intervention, stating they were merely reclaiming public land “occupied illegally” and outlined plans for future development in the area.

This isn’t the first time the Abidjan district and Plateau municipality have locked horns. The two bodies frequently accuse each other of overstepping jurisdictional boundaries, with political undertones adding fuel to the fire. While the district is led by Ibrahim Cissé Bacongo (executive secretary of the ruling RHDP party), the Plateau commune is administered by deputy mayor Jacques Gabriel Ehouo of the opposition PDCI.