<P> The southern Ivory Coast was in control of the Ivorian government . The north however, was under the power of the rebel movement . The civil war between the two began officially on 19 September 2002 when rebels launched a series of attacks on the south . The city of Abidjan was primarily targeted . Northern rebels were successful in the attacks . As a result of the chaos, president Robert Guéï was killed in the rebellions . </P> <P> The south retailed with military action . France supported the south and sent 2500 soldiers to the region and called for United Nations action . French action in the area went under the guise and codename of Operation Unicorn . </P> <P> By 2004 most fighting in the region ceased . On 4 March 2007 the civil war official ended with the signing of a peace treaty . </P> <P> Traditional African medicine is a holistic discipline involving indigenous herbalism and African spirituality . Practitioners claim to be able to cure various and diverse conditions . Modern science has, in the past, considered methods of traditional knowledge as primitive and backward . Under colonial rule, traditional diviner - healers were outlawed because they were considered by many nations to be practitioners of witchcraft and declared illegal by the colonial authorities, creating a war against witchcraft and magic . During this time, attempts were also made to control the sale of herbal medicines . As colonialism and Christianity spread through Africa, colonialists built general hospitals and Christian missionaries built private ones, with the hopes of making headway against widespread diseases . Little was done to investigate the legitimacy of these practices, as many foreigners believed that the native medical practices were pagan and superstitious and could only be suitably fixed by inheriting Western methods . During times of conflict, opposition has been particularly vehement as people are more likely to call on the supernatural realm . Consequently, doctors and health practitioners have, in most cases, continued to shun traditional practitioners despite their contribution to meeting the basic health needs of the population . In recent years, the treatments and remedies used in traditional African medicine have gained more appreciation from researchers in Western science . Developing countries have begun to realise the high costs of modern health care systems and the technologies that are required, thus proving Africa's dependence to it . Due to this, interest has recently been expressed in integrating traditional African medicine into the continent's national health care systems . </P>

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