Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara offered a hearty welcome to his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo on Tuesday as the rivals met for the first time since the West African country’s deadly 2010-11 conflict.
Gbagbo, 76, has leapt into the spotlight since returning last month from Europe, where he won a landmark case at the International Criminal Court. In the last months of his stormy rule from 2000 to 2011, Gbagbo rejected defeat by Ouattara in a presidential ballot.
The ensuing conflict claimed more than 3,000 lives. After he was ousted, Gbagbo was flown to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity, of which he was eventually acquitted.
But Gbagbo’s spokesman Justin Katinan Kone urged the public “not to make too much” of the meeting, expected to last about half an hour and to be followed by a news conference.
Many in the West African country hope this will meeting will be a step further towards national reconciliation, and help bury the hatchet between the two politicians, who to this day, remain the most influencial men in Ivory Coast.
Government spokesman Amadou Coulibaly said that Dialogue in Ivory Coast “will continue, because that is the government’s will”.
It’s also the first time since Gbagbo returned from Europe last month, where he won a landmark case at the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was acquitted of crimes including murder, rape and persecution.
After the former president landed in Ivory Coast last month, many wonder if Laurent Gbagbo will make his official comeback to politics, or if he will stand back from his revered status amongst his Ivorian Popular Front supporters.
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