IVORY COAST: Ivory Coast's main opposition leader ends more than three years of as he returns to the West African state for his mother's funeral

Record ID: 182675

  • Title: IVORY COAST: Ivory Coast's main opposition leader ends more than three years of as he returns to the West African state for his mother's funeral
  • Date: 7th December 2005
  • Summary: CROWD SINGING
  • Embargoed: 22nd December 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1J519BESLO1T0HT7I8I04E31T
  • Story Text: The leader of one of Ivory Coast's main opposition parties ended more than three years of exile in Paris on Tuesday, returning to the West African state for his mother's funeral.
    About 100 supporters greeted former Prime Minister Alassane Dramane Ouattara, head of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR) party, on his arrival at the airport in the main city of Abidjan late on Tuesday on a regular Air France flight.
    Many wore bright orange party T-shirts and sang Ouattara's initials "ADO, ADO," as he arrived at the airport, swiftly heading for his family home. Ouattara draws much of his support from mainly Muslim northerners in a country whose political allegiances are closely aligned to its many ethnic groups and he is a hated figure among many supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo.
    They accuse him of backing rebels who began a civil war after an unsuccessful attempt to oust Gbagbo in September 2002. The country has been divided into the rebel-held north and government-run south since the brief conflict ended.
    Ouattara has chosen to remain in exile in Paris while security remains uncertain but U.N. and Ivorian troops were to escort him during his visit to attend his mother's funeral on Thursday, a U.N. military source told Reuters.
    Ouattara was excluded from presidential elections in 2000 and dozens of his supporters were killed by security forces during riots following the polls which they said were rigged.
    A series of peace deals to reunite the world's top cocoa producer have foundered because of political squabbling but the latest U.N. plan has called for a new prime minister with extra powers to bring about disarmament, reunification and elections by October next year.
    An RDR source told Reuters it was unclear how long Ouattara would stay in Abidjan.
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