ABIDJAN – President Alassane Ouattara stamped his new authority on Ivory Coast on Thursday, as troops formerly loyal to his ousted rival Laurent Gbagbo flocked to his banner despite ongoing violence.
United Nations peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy told reporters in New York there was however still fighting and “quite a lot of looting” despite Ouattara’s victory over Gbagbo’s attempt to cling to power. “There are still people with arms, it is still dangerous but there are no more blockades,” he said, as UN peacekeepers and French troops worked with the new government to restore order in the port city of Abidjan. Ouattara’s forces captured Gbagbo on Monday after storming his Abidjan palace, finally ending a four-month armed stand-off that began when both men claimed to have won a disputed presidential election. Ouattara’s victory has been recognised by the international community, and most countries have welcomed Gbagbo’s downfall, but troops from both sides have been accused of atrocities during the conflict.
The new president has vowed to create a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the allegations, and has given himself two months to restore order across the cocoa-rich West African nation. He also called on the International Criminal Court to probe massacres carried out in the west of the country, where both his troops and Gbagbo’s were accused of taking part in the massacre of hundreds of civilians.
“I will speak shortly with the ICC’s chief prosecutor so the court can begin investigations,” Ouattara told journalists Wednesday during his first major press conference since being able to exercise executive power. “These massacres are unacceptable… I am revolted,” he said. ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo last week announced plans to launch a formal probe into mass killings in Ivory Coast. Ouattara said his priority was to rid the country of militia fighters and mercenaries, and to collect and destroy arms. “Once we’ve successfully carried out these operations, for which I have set aside one or two months, you’ll see that pacification will be total,” he said. Leading members of Gbagbo’s security forces continued to rally to Ouattara, with the latest Wednesday being General Georges Guiai Bi Poin, head of an elite unit, presidential spokeswoman Anne Ouloto told AFP.
