The former Cote d’Ivoire President who became the first former African head of state to appear in the dock at the International Criminal Court in the Hague has escaped more hazardous situations than Indiana Jones.

One of these is that international tribunal sentencing him in 2015 to 20 years imprisonment for crimes against humanity.

It acquitted him in January last year and set him free provided he did not return to Cote d’Ivoire.

The court found that there was not enough evidence that he had ordered the heinous crimes that occurred during the civil war that followed his refusal to accept defeat by Alassane Ouattara in the 2010 presidential election.

The prosecution is appealing this decision which was not well received by the Ivorean authorities and the families and friends of the 3000 people who died in that five-month of conflict that ended with Gbagbo’s arrest by Ouattara’s forces backed by the French soldiers.

Gbagbo went to Belgium which agreed to grant him asylum.

In May the ICC  declared he was no longer restricted to living there.

Determined to contest the election scheduled for October 31 Gbagbo applied for a diplomatic passport to which he is entitled as a former head of state.

Having had no response from the foreign ministry in Yamoussoukro Gbagbo has made applied for an ordinary Ivorean passport at the embassy in Brussels

This week his drastically split Ivorean Popular Front (FPI) named Pascal Affi N’Guessan as its presidential candidate.

He’ll in all likelihood  be opposing Ouatarra following the death last month of Amadou Gon Coulibaly the chosen candidate of the ruling Houphouëists For Democracy and Peace (RHDP).

Ouattara has yet to confirm that he will be going back on his undertaking to step down.

Gbagbo’s supporters are at pains to dismiss N’Guessan as the favourite of the renovators wing of the FPI

They insist that the Gbagbo Or Nothing faction of the party remains alive and well and that they are foursquare behind him seeking a third mandate.

So much depends now on whether the Ivorian authorities allow Gbagbo to come home and contest the election.

The post Will Ivorean authorities allow Laurent Gbagbo to come home and contest the presidential election appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

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Alassane Outtara became President of Cote d’Ivor in 2010.

His opponent Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat, sparking a brief civil war in which more than 3 000 people died.

Ouattara was re-elected in 2015, again with an 84% share of the vote.

Previously he said he would only run again if his chief opponents, Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie featured in the race.

His statement yesterday appears to rule out the constitutional changes that would be necessary to enable him to seek a third mandate. 

The post Ouattara says he won’t seek a third term as Cote d’Ivoire President appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

He says won’t be returning home to face what he calls a baseless arrest warrant and will contest next year’s Presidential election from abroad.

Heading home last week, Guillaume Soro turned to Ghana when he heard that he faces arrest in Cote d’Ivoire.

Police have raided his party headquarters in Abidjan and arrested a number of his supporters.

He says the charges against him are not based on law but on a determination by President Alassane Ouattara not to allow his return to contest the 2020 election.

Soro, who was in France says he has not called for protection from that country

The post Guillaume Soro rejects allegations he’s planning to overthrow Cote d’ivoire government appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The announcement was made when French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Ivory Coast.

At the Petit Palace in Abidjan, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ivorean counterpart  Alassane Ouattara – who currently leads the Monetary Union of West Africa – announced that the revamped currency will be launched in 2020.

It will be called the ECO and will give the leaders of the eight West African countries that use it greater control over their currency.

The ECO will remain fixed to the euro and will broaden the possibility for the 15 members of the West African grouping ECOWAS to adopt the currency as well.

The post West African Monetary Union to reform French-backed colonial-era currency appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The authorities say the parliamentarian’s social media post caused violent riots.

Former Sport Minister Alain Lobognan tweeted that prosecutors were about to arrest a fellow MP.

The authorities insist this was never the case and that the MP’s fake new had led violent protests.

Lobognan has gone on hunger strike since receiving the jail sentence. 

He claims he’s the target of a politically-motivated attack.

Lobognan is close to Parliamentary Speaker Guillaume Soro who’s a former rebel leader and prime minister.

Soro’s fallen out with President Alassane Ouattara whom he plans to oppose in elections scheduled for next year.

The post Ivorean MP jailed for disseminating fake news has gone on hunger strike appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.