Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara granted amnesty to 300 prisoners, including former first lady Simone Gbagbo, and said all charges would be dropped against 500 others who are living in exile or have already been released provisionally.
Ouattara made the announcement in a speech on the eve of the West African nation’s celebration of independence from France in 1960. Those who benefit from the amnesty are citizens who have been prosecuted or sentenced for crimes related to the 2010-11 conflict, which was triggered by ex-President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to acknowledge that Ouattara had won presidential elections.
The post-election conflict was the deadliest crisis the country has experienced, with at least 3,000 people, mostly Gbagbo opponents, killed during the six-month standoff. The fighting ended shortly after United Nations and French troops bombed the presidential residence to force the Gbagbo’s to surrender. Ouattara was sworn in as president weeks after their arrest.
Rights groups including Amnesty International say Ouattara has failed to prosecute former rebel leaders who helped him fight Gbagbo’s troops.
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(Published by Bloomberg, Aug 07, 2018)