Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara met his long-time political rival Laurent Gbagbo on Tuesday in an effort to end tensions in the West African country.
“How are you, Laurent? Happy to see you,” Ouattara said as Gbagbo arrived at the presidential palace in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, reported Africa News.
The two leaders met for the first time since the deadly 2010-11 conflict, saying that they have left the turmoil behind.
Ivory Coast has faced political tension, mistrust, and violence since 2010 when a civil war killed over 3,000 people as both Ouattara and Gbagbo vied for power.
The civil war erupted after Gbagbo refused to accept his electoral defeat from Ouattara in the 2010 presidential elections. He was arrested after the war. He returned back to Abidjan in June this year after living a decade in exile and years of legal procedures at the International Criminal Court
“This crisis created differences, but that is behind us. What is important for Ivory Coast is peace in our country,” Ouattara said during a joint news conference after their meeting.
Gbagbo urged Ouattara to free all the prisoners held since the civil war period.
“I told the president – and you will agree with me – I was their leader and I am out today. They are in prison,” Gbagbo said during the joint news conference, adding, “I would like the president to do all he can to free them.”
Notably, Gbagbo continues to face a 20-year prison sentence which was handed down in November 2019 on charges of misappropriating funds from the regional central bank.
The Ivory Coast government has not yet confirmed if the verdict will be enforced, or if it has decided to pardon Gbagbo.
Ouattara said the two of them would continue to meet in the future, and invited others to join them, probably after August.
