Ivory Coast: the two former presidents Bédié and Gbagbo reconciled in the opposition
The two former Ivorian presidents Laurent Gbagbo (l.) And Henri Konan Bédié (r.) In the village of Bédiékro, in Ivory Coast, on Sunday July 11, 2021. AFP - ISSOUF SANOGO
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
This weekend of July 10 and 11, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo visited his elder, Henri Konan Bédié, also former President of Côte d'Ivoire, who joined the opposition since 2018.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Abidjan,
François Hume-Ferkatadji
Formerly political opponents, the two figures of Ivorian political life have in turn thanked and congratulated each other, and displayed their new complicity.
Engulfing together in a 4x4 to visit the plantations of the head of the PDCI in Bédiékro, in the Daoukro region, the two men hugged each other and now see themselves as "
brothers
".
Each speaking during these two days, Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bédié, assuming their opposition to the power in place, called for rethinking the process of national reconciliation.
In a joint statement, their respective political parties call for "
the urgent need to work for the return of a final and lasting peace in Côte d'Ivoire
".
On the strength of this
new alliance
, Henri Konan Bédié launched an appeal from his native camp, without clearly drawing its outlines: “
We must initiate a major project to rebuild our country
.
This great project necessarily involves the implementation of a true reconciliation project, through an inclusive national dialogue.
"
A powerful ally
Resolutely committed against the controversial third term of Ivorian President Alassane Ouatarra, Henri Konan Bédié has found in Laurent Gbagbo a powerful ally.
The president of FPI-Gor denounced to Daoukro those who do not respect "
what is written
".
"
Because in Africa we have a problem
," he lost his temper
.
We write the text and then crumple it and throw it away.
"
But in Côte d'Ivoire, alliances are quickly formed and broken down according to the political interests of the moment.
The militants know it and some are worried about it like this sympathizer of the FPI: “
We start with an alliance, and after that it becomes something else.
It is the populations who are paying the price!
"
Laurent Gbagbo repeated several times that he
would
"
speak
" in the coming weeks, during a political rally, while Henri Konan Bédié, who remained vague on his intentions, indicated that he "
would soon to define
[his]
reconciliation project in order to present it to the whole nation
”.
► See also: Ivory Coast: Gbagbo's visit to Konan Bédié takes on the appearance of a political rally
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Ivory Coast
Alassane Ouattara
Laurent Gbagbo
Henri Konan Bédié
On the same subject
Ivory Coast: Henri Konan Bédié calls for a "new reconciliation project"
Ivory Coast: a Gbagbo-Bédié meeting with a view to an alliance between EDS and the PDCI