West Africa: Former Côte d’Ivoire president is back home after 10 years of exile

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:58 am

On Thursday, former president of Côte d’Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo touched down on home soil after ten years in exile abroad when he received permission to return from President Alassane Ouattara’s government.

Gbagbo anyhow managed to figure out a way around a huge crowd of supporters via heavy security vehicles to his political party’s campaign headquarters where he communicated happiness to be home in Cote d’Ivoire.

Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo was removed during a civil war of 2011 and cleared of war crimes in The Hague. Gbagbo’s supporters have enthusiastically expected his return since the time of his release in 2019 on charges of war crimes and violations against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague identified with his part in the civil conflict. 

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He ruled during a fierce decade that saw Ivory Coast split in two after a military insurrection in 2002. His refusal to yield rout to Ouattara in the 2010 elections at that time, which later prompted the war in which more than 3,000 people died. 

Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa maker, has seen fast financial development under Ouattara however keeps on encountering infrequent episodes of political and ethnic agitation. 

Gbagbo has stated little regarding what political role he may play after his return. He holds firm support among his base of allies, especially in the west and south. 

However, he faces a 20-year jail sentence that was given over in November 2019 on charges he misused assets from the regional national bank. The public authority has not yet stated whether it intends to enforce the legal verdict.