Ivory Coast’s new president Alassane Ouattara says he will be formally inaugurated May 21 in the country’s official capital, Yamoussoukro. Ouattara won the election last November over Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo refused to vacate the position and Ivory Coast broke out into a civil war until the French were able to capture Gbagbo last month. Ouattara took power April 11 after four months of fighting between the two sides.
The United Nations certified results showing Ouattara as the winner of the November election. Ouattara held a brief swearing-in last December while blockaded in a hotel by pro-Gbagbo troops.
The Ouattara government is now trying to re-establish security and normalcy around the country. Some banks reopened Thursday, after being closed for weeks.
The United Nations Security Council extended sanctions against Ivory Coast for one year, including an arms embargo. Both pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces have been accused of killing and raping civilians during the post-election violence. Ouattara has vowed to hold accountable all of those who committed crimes during the unrest. The United Nations says hundreds of people were killed in the post-election clashes, and more than 1 million were displaced from their homes.
A militia leader who helped drive Gbagbo from power was killed in fighting with the pro-Ouattara Republican Forces on Wednesday. Ibrahim Coulibaly died after the Republic Forces attacked his militia in the main city of Abidjan. Coulibaly had been a longtime rival of Mr. Ouattara’s prime minister, Guillame Soro.
Ouattara’s government announced that it was launching a criminal investigation of former president Gbagbo, his wife, and a number of their associates. A spokesman did not say what specific charges they are facing. Mr. Gbagbo and his wife remain in the government’s custody.
On The Web
- Gbagbo under Siege (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Ivory Coast Ruling Party Asking for a “National Reconcilliation” (africanaonline.com)
- New Republic: Can Ouattara Save The Ivory Coast? (npr.org)
