The creation of a new political party is generally associated with key personalities and/or a political ideology; territorial roots are rarely a factor. This article covers the history of Tonkpi—the former Eighteen Mountains region bordering Guinea and Liberia in the west of the country—from 1950 to the present day, and focuses on the political marginalisation of the region and the regional roots of the Union pour la démocratie et la paix en Côte d’Ivoire (Union for Democracy and Peace in Côte d’Ivoire, UDPCI), the party founded in 2001 by General Robert Gueï. Following the assassination of General Gueï during the 2002 coup, the UDPCI and its new president, Albert Mabri Toikeusse, are seeking a national audience, but the party is still perceived as a Tonkpi ethno-regional party.