The standoff between cocoa producers and the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) has taken a legal turn. On Monday, February 2, 2026, two leading figures defending the farmers were arrested following a complaint filed by the Director General of the CCC.

An arrest against the backdrop of a payment crisis

Kanga Koffi (ANAPROCI) and Koné Moussa (SYNAP-CI) were taken into custody after responding to a court summons. This action follows a complaint filed by Yves Brahima Koné , Director General of the Coffee and Cocoa Council, for "defamation and slanderous denunciation." The two union leaders are expected to appear before the public prosecutor this Tuesday, February 3.

A case deemed "empty" by the defense

The lawyer for the union platform denounces the proceedings as baseless. According to him, the plaintiff, Yves Brahima Koné, was conspicuously absent from the hearings scheduled for last Friday and this Monday, despite several postponements.

“The case is practically empty. For there to be a false accusation, one must denounce non-existent facts. However, the payment blockages that our clients report are real, documented by the press and even acknowledged in passing by the CEO of the CCC in his own complaint,” the lawyer insisted.

The defense insists that the unions are not attacking the institutions of the Republic, but are pointing the finger at a failing management of the general management of the CCC , unable to ensure the smooth flow of payments to planters in the field.

The stakes of a crisis that is becoming entrenched

The situation is critical for millions of small producers. For several weeks, many of them have delivered their beans without receiving any payment, a blockage that is weakening the entire rural economy.

The major points of tension:

1. Default of payment: Beans delivered to exporters but not paid for to growers.
2. Technical problems: Difficulties in enrolling producers in electronic files.
3. Lack of dialogue: The plaintiff's refusal to confront the situation exacerbates tensions.

Risk of social escalation

While an extraordinary general assembly was planned in Daloa to propose solutions to the crisis, this wave of arrests could act as a catalyst. Instead of calming the situation, the detention of Mr. Koffi and Mr. Koné risks hardening the producers' position and multiplying protests.

The agricultural world's attention is now focused on the new Minister of Agriculture, Bruno Nabagné Koné . His challenge is significant: to restore trust among stakeholders in the sector and ensure that cocoa, the economic lifeblood of Côte d'Ivoire, continues to benefit those who cultivate it.