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France ‘aided’ Ouattara to take power by force
Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo attends a pre-trial hearing on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on February 19, 2013. Gbagbo and his co-accused Charles Ble Goude, a firebrand militia leader, have denied four charges of crimes against humanity after 3,000 people were killed following a disputed Ivory Coast vote. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Gbagbo declared himself the winner of the vote in late 2010, but major powers including France and the United States, as well as the United Nations, backed Ouattara, who had snatched a narrow victory.
- But Altit countered Monday that there had been a deliberate campaign to make Gbagbo “out to be some of kind demon” and “paint Ouattara as the good guy.”
THE HAGUE
Defence lawyers for fallen Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo on Monday accused his bitter rival President Alassane Ouattara of seizing power by force aided by former colonial ruler France after disputed 2010 elections.
