Ivory Coast: what we know about the reception that will be reserved for Laurent Gbagbo
Supporters of Laurent Gbagbo are preparing for his return to his party's headquarters in Abidjan on June 14, 2021. REUTERS - LUC GNAGO
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4 min
Laurent Gbagbo is expected tomorrow Thursday June 17 in Côte d'Ivoire.
The former president is making his comeback after ten years of absence and three months after being definitively acquitted by the International Criminal Court.
After long discussions on the format of its reception, things are becoming clearer even if a few questions remain.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan,
Pierre Pinto
Laurent Gbagbo will arrive in Abidjan by a commercial Brussels Airlines flight at 3:45 p.m. local time UTC.
He will then be taken
to the presidential pavilion at Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport
where a few dozen handpicked guests will welcome him, including some members of the government, whose identity has not yet been disclosed.
According to his entourage, areas dedicated to the public would be planned near the airport to allow supporters to greet him.
Security device
Then, Laurent Gbagbo's procession will begin a long journey through Abidjan which should take it through several municipalities from the Ivorian economic capital to the north of Cocody.
A journey that has not yet been officially unveiled.
No more than the scale of the security system deployed for his safety and for the management of crowds who will be determined to brave the probable seasonal rains.
Visit to his native region
The vagueness also remains as to its program for the days that will follow.
Assoa Adou, his secretary general, told the press on Monday that Laurent Gbagbo would quickly go to the region of Gagnoa, in the center-west of the country, to bow to the grave of his mother, who died while he was in detention in The Hague.
A move that could take place at the end of the week.
After ten years of absence, his return is particularly awaited in his region of origin.
Mr Laurent Gbagbo, it is an inspiration, I want him to take up politics again, thanks to him we have learned a lot of things.
In Gagnoa, Laurent Gbagbo is still popular among young people
Francois Mazet
► To read also: Laurent Gbagbo: the key dates of an eventful political and judicial journey
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