Siège de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) à La Haye aux Pays-Bas

Ivory Coast – 2010-2011 crisis: the ICC maintains its investigations and attempts to relaunch judicial cooperation

ByThe Mwebantu Team

Mandiaye Niang, deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), affirmed that investigations into crimes linked to post-election violence in Côte d’Ivoire, which occurred between December 2010 and May 2011, are still ongoing. Nevertheless, the Senegalese magistrate wishes to relaunch judicial cooperation which remains fragile.

In its forecast budget for 2025, the Court indicated that it planned to close its office in Abidjan, information relayed in mid-September by the Ivorian government. “If the ICC office has completed its mission and must close, we can only say we are happy about it”declared Amadou Coulibaly, government spokesperson, following a Council of Ministers.

However, Ivory Coast is not completely done with the IPC. As Mandiaye Niang explained to RFI, the prosecutor’s office’s investigations are continuing. “We remain focused on our objective, which is to investigate the other factions”he clarified.

This part of the investigation, launched in 2016 after the opening of Laurent Gbagbo’s trial in The Hague, targets the other side of the conflict, in particular the rebellion of Guillaume Soro’s New Forces, who then supported President Alassane Ouattara. Guillaume Soro, former rebel leader, became Prime Minister, then President of the National Assembly, before going into exile in 2019 as an opponent of the current regime.

Since then, Soro has been convicted in absentia several times by the Ivorian courts. However, at the ICC level, this second phase of the investigation is progressing slowly, due to difficulties linked to cooperation, explains Mandiaye Niang.

Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé, charged with crimes against humanity, were acquitted in January 2019. Following these acquittals, the prosecutor withdrew the arrest warrant against Simone Gbagbo, sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against state security by an Ivorian court, but amnestied in 2018.

The Mwebantu Team
The Mwebantu Team

Led by Nia, the insightful editor-in-chief, Kwame, our technology expert, and Amara, the bold field reporter, the Mwebantu team weaves the vibrant narrative of Africa every day, forging a narrative bridge between the continent and the world. Their shared passion illuminates the mission of Mwebantu News, making African voices resonate on the global stage.