Ivory Coast’s ex-president flies home after exile

IVORY Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo, ousted during a civil war in 2011 and acquitted of war crimes in The Hague, touched down yesterday in the commercial capital, Abidjan, as crowds massed to welcome him home from a decade in exile.

Police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of supporters. One group chanted “Gbagbo is coming, we will install him,” while others shouted “Respect the power of Gbagbo” from mini-vans heading towards the airport in the commercial capital Abidjan.

Gbagbo waved as he boarded a plane back to Ivory Coast in Brussels as a small group of supporters applauded, videos shared on social media sites showed. He was ousted from power in 2011, sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face war crimes charges, and acquitted eight years later. The 76-year-old’s return comes after protracted negotiations between his camp and the government, which delayed granting him a passport until after 2020 elections.

Gbagbo has said little about what political role he might play back home. He retains firm support among his base of supporters, particularly in the south and west. There was a heavy police presence in Abidjan to head off any violence, even as President Alassane Ouattara’s government and Gbagbo’s supporters say they hope his return can help reconcile the country. In the city’s Yopougon district, hundreds took to the streets to demonstrate in support of his arrival. Police fired teargas in other neighbourhoods to disperse similar crowds.

Gbagbo, who came to office in 2000, was arrested after a brief civil war prompted by his refusal to concede defeat to Ouattara in the 2010 election. More than 3 000 people were killed in the conflict, which was fought largely along ethnic and regional lines.

He was acquitted at the International Criminal Court in 2019 of charges that he had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the violence.