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Côte d’Ivoire: Has the bubble already burst between Gbagbo and Outtara?

By Florence Richard

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Posted on March 17, 2023 15:09

Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara (L) and his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo (R). ©Jeune Afrique montage: ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP

In Côte d’Ivoire, strong tensions have emerged in recent weeks between the former president’s party and the authorities. The strained atmosphere is unprecedented, amidst a fragile political climate and only a few months before highly anticipated local elections.

Are we witnessing a shift in the relationship between Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo in Côte d’Ivoire? The détente observed between the two men, carefully orchestrated since the former president’s return to Abidjan after his final acquittal by the International Criminal Court (ICC), seems to have ground to a halt.

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