Laurent Gbagbo celebrates his "rebirth" among his family in a big meeting in Abidjan

Former President Laurent Gbagbo, president of his new PPA-CI party, during a rally in Yopougon, March 31, 2023. AFP - SIA KAMBOU

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The former Ivorian president held a large meeting in the commune of Yopougon on Friday, March 31. The leader of the PPA-CI, an opposition party, wants to celebrate the "feast of rebirth", which commemorates, for him and his activists, his final acquittal before the ICC.

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With our correspondent in Abidjan, Bineta Diagne

This meeting was first and foremost a celebration, a meeting, between activists from afar: several delegations came from the northern, western, and eastern regions of the country. Dressed in blue shirts, with the symbols of the party, the militants of the PPA-CI, want to show their confidence in their leader.

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I am here to show my attachment to Laurent Gbagbo ", explains Laurent Adjoumani, a sympathizer of Bounkani (north), who wants to "drink advice" from the president of the PPA-CI. "Côte d'Ivoire is really experiencing governance difficulties. As young people who have hope, who expect everything from our state, we expect Laurent Gagbo to give us clear guidelines for the future of Côte d'Ivoire and youth, "says a young person.

Laurent Gbagbo takes the floor. For him, this March 31 marks "the reparation of an injustice". In front of a crowd of activists, very attentive, the president of the PPA-CI, returned in detail on his arrest and his trial before the ICC. "March 31 [2022] gave freedom to people who did not have to be in prison," he said, before concluding: "I advise our country to continue to search for the culprits" of the violence.

This meeting was finally an opportunity to prime the pump for the local elections. This is evidenced by the presence of an ally: the PDCI-RDA, represented by several executives including Vice-President Georges Ezalé, who came to convey Henri Konan Bédié's message of fraternity.

This Saturday, the leader of the PPA-CI meets the youth of his party. A moment of exchange to better understand their concerns.

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Read on on the same topics:

  • Ivory Coast
  • Laurent Gbagbo