Daily Dispatch

Ivory Coast exiled leader of youth militia Ble Goude returns home

-

Charles Ble Goude, a former militia leader acquitted of crimes against humanity related to his role in Ivory Coast’s civil war, returned from exile on Saturday as politician­s sought to reconcile after years of instabilit­y and conflict.

Hundreds of supporters wearing clothes printed with Ble Goude’s image sang and danced in the Yopougon suburb of Abidjan to welcome him home after eight years.

The return of Ble Goude after his acquittal by the Internatio­nal Criminal Court in The Hague in 2019 is part of a wider thawing between political factions in Ivory Coast, that President Alassane Ouattara hopes will reduce political tension ahead of elections in 2025.

“I dreamed of this moment from my prison cell,” Ble Goude told a crowd that stood in the pouring rain. “You will accompany me in this peace process that our country needs.”

Much of Ivory Coast’s tension stems from a brief civil war following a 2010 election, after which former president Laurent Gbagbo failed to accept defeat to Ouattara. Tensions have been simmering since and at least 20 people died in clashes when Ouattara decided to run again in 2020 elections.

Gbagbo — ousted during the civil war and also acquitted of war crimes by The Hague — returned home last year after a decade in exile.

Ble Goude, who headed the notorious Young Patriots street militia during Gbagbo’s presidency, was accused of inciting attacks on civilians and UN soldiers. He was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison by a court in Abidjan in 2019 for his role in the civil war.

Ble Goude told Radio France Internatio­nal last week that he expects those charges to be dropped once he returns.

 ?? Picture: REUTERS/ LUC GNAGO ?? HOME AGAIN: Charles Ble Goude, former youth minister for former president Laurent Gbagbo and leader of the Young Patriots, greets supporters on his return after being released by the Internatio­nal Criminal Court in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Picture: REUTERS/ LUC GNAGO HOME AGAIN: Charles Ble Goude, former youth minister for former president Laurent Gbagbo and leader of the Young Patriots, greets supporters on his return after being released by the Internatio­nal Criminal Court in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa