Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo ‘Free To Return’ – Ouattara

Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo Free To Run For President - Ouattara
Ex-president Laurent Gbagbo
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President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast on Wednesday stated that Ex-President Laurent Gbagbo and his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude are ‘free to return to Ivory Coast when they want’ after they were definitively acquitted of crimes against humanity by the ICC.

At the commencement of a cabinet meeting in Abidjan, Ouattara said; ‘Arrangements will be made so that Laurent Gbagbo can enjoy, in accordance with the laws in place, the advantages and allowances available to former presidents,’

He spoke a week after the International Criminal Court (ICC) upheld Gbagbo’s acquittal, with appeals judges confirming that he was finally in the clear over a wave of post-electoral violence in 2010-11.

Read Also: Ivory Coast Minister To Meet Gbagbo To Discuss Return

Gbagbo was the first head of state to stand trial at the tribunal in The Hague.

More than 3,000 people were killed in the brief civil war which followed Ivory Coast’s 2010 presidential election when Gbagbo disputed the results of the vote won by Ouattara.

Last Wednesday’s ruling ended the decade-long legal saga over the unrest.

Supporters of 75-year-old Gbagbo say it will heal the country’s wounds and pave the way for his triumphant return to the West African country.

Despite spending years behind bars in The Hague, as well as time in Brussels as he awaited the outcome of an appeal against his acquittal in 2019, Gbagbo has retained strong support at home.

He has been positioning himself for a potential comeback since last year, casting himself as a conciliatory figure.

Ble Goude, a former youth militia leader, also saw his acquittal upheld last week.

It remains to be seen if Gbagbo would consider returning to his home country anytime soon as some pundits have predicted political crises considering how influential the Ex-President is in the West African country.

 

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK

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