Media reports of the rebellion tearing apart C?te d'Ivoire portray the conflict as a rift between a Muslim North and a Christian South. They repeatedly refer to the armed conflict in religious terms by describing the country as split between a government-held area in the Christian and animist South and a rebel-held area in the Muslim North." This cultural/geographical description of the conflict inhibits our understanding of the situation. These newspaper reports echo the divisive statements of politicians and thus serve to widen rifts. In sum, the religious and geographical simplifications by the media do not contribute to our understanding of the conflict. Rather, they insidiously exacerbate it by reinforcing stereotypes and deepening social and political divisions.