Cries of joy, songs and dances of sympathizers of the former president were observed at the SGBCI crossroads of Yopougon Sideci, Thursday April 17, 2021, upon the announcement of the arrival by Laurent Gbagbo in Abidjan .
“I was delighted to learn that President Gbagbo was arriving today, my joy is total to see his plane landing on TV at Abidjan Port-Bouët airport. He’s not a man. Gbagbo! ”Chanted Hervé, dancing to the rhythm of excessively loud music.
Romeo shares this joy, “hoping that the arrival of the ex-president can create a better framework for true reconciliation”. He welcomes the action taken by President Alassane Ouattara, who contributed to the entry of “Woody” (Laurent Gbagbo’s nickname).
Gbagbo’s supporters came out in large numbers, in total jubilation, from the landing of his plane until his arrival at the headquarters of his party, the Font populaire ivoirien (FPI, opposition), in Cocody.
The police intermittently threw tear gas canisters to avoid any overflow.
The former head of state set foot on Ivorian soil, Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 4:32 pm, at Félix Houphouët-Boigny international airport in Abidjan, 10 years after being transferred to The Hague, to the International Criminal Court (CPI ).
He was definitively acquitted on Wednesday, March 30, 2021, of several charges, including that of crimes against humanity.
Gbagbo was transferred to the ICC in The Hague on November 29, 2011, after the post-election crisis that caused 3,000 deaths in Côte d’Ivoire.
Source: Agence Ivoirienne de Presse