Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Video Shows Capture of Ivory Coast's Gbagbo

Despite claims in earlier reports that French special forces and helicopters were involved in the capture of Laurent Gbagbo, newly released video shows Ivory Coast rebels making the final push into his compound and capturing Gbagbo.



He's since been moved to a villa where he is being kept under guard before he is expected to face justice both under national and international law:
Ivory Coast's new President Alassane Ouattara has said all sides in the country's conflict must face justice.

He said he would ask the International Criminal Court to probe massacres in which both his forces and those of his rival Laurent Gbagbo were suspected.

Mr Gbagbo was captured on Monday by Mr Ouattara's forces after he refused to accept he lost elections in November.

He will now face charges at a "national level and an international level", Mr Ouattara said.

At a news conference in the main city of Abidjan, Mr Ouattara said Mr Gbagbo had been moved to a secure location.
Ouattara won the election in November, and Gbagbo refused to relinquish power, setting off the conflict that claimed hundreds of lives and caused incalculable damage to the economy.

The new president also intends to impose justice equally on those who committed crimes in the name of Gbagbo and his own supporters, and also sought to clamp down on looters taking advantage of the security vacuum. He's saying all the right things for the moment, but time will tell whether he turns out to be what Ivory Coast needs.

Sanctions are likely to be lifted against the country now that Gbagbo is out of power.

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