French–Ivorian ClashesCôte d'Ivoire / France · 2004“Draw near — the atlas keeps this thread, and tonight the fire lends it a voice.”One afternoon in November 2004, Ivorian jets bombed a French base at Bouaké and killed nine soldiers. Before the sun set, France had answered by destroying the entire Ivorian air force where it sat on the tarmac at Yamoussoukro.