Cote D’Ivoire Ouattara pledges to restore security

Cote D’Ivoire Ouattara pledges to restore security

Cote d’Ivoire’s President, Allassane Ouattara, has pledged to quickly restore security and prosperity, as life in the main city slowly returned to a normality of sorts.

In his first news conference since his rival Laurent Gbagbo was arrested, ending a power struggle, Ouattara promised to bring to justice all those responsible for atrocities, including his own forces.

"I say to my countrymen: in a few months Ivory Coast will have come out of this crisis. Trust me .We are still in a delicate situation. We still need to secure the country, especially Abidjan ... I will do everything I can so that all Ivoirians, everywhere in the country, can live safely," Ouattara said.

Assurances

He said that a new republican army would be formed and urged militias and mercenaries, who took part in the fighting, to lay down their weapons.

 Ouattara said that everything was in place to immediately resume cocoa exports -- the West African state's main foreign revenue generator -- and that branches of the regional central bank shut for months would likely reopen next week, paving the way for private banks to do the same.

 He also said that he would ask the International Criminal Court to investigate reported massacres since the power struggle began in the wake of a disputed November election, which UN-certified results showed he won but which Gbagbo rejected.

 Gbagbo's capture by Ouattara's troops, aided by French forces in the former colony, drew a line under months of conflict in which thousands were killed, more than a million uprooted and the economy of the once shining star of the West African region collapsed.

Gradual normalcy

In Abidjan, the commercial capital, some petrol stations reopened , communal taxis were running and people cautiously ventured out in the streets despite continued violence in some districts.

Residents  also confirmed that   running water and electricity cut off by 10 days of fierce fighting for control of the city once known as the Paris of Africa were restored to most neighbourhoods,

The EU, France and the World Bank have all pledged financial aid to restore stability, rebuild the economy and repair badly damaged infrastructure. US President Barack Obama called Ouattara to offer his support.

Army allegiance

In a boost to his legitimacy, Gbagbo's former army chiefs pledged allegiance to Ouattara at an official ceremony on Tuesday where words like "forgiveness" and "reconciliation" were repeated frequently.

 Ouattara, whose standing has been undermined by reports that his forces killed hundreds of civilians in the west of the country, said all crimes would be prosecuted.

 He urged supporters to refrain from violence and reprisals and said soldiers caught looting would be dismissed from the army.

 Ouattara said on Wednesday, that he had been moved to an undisclosed location in the country and that he would be prosecuted alongside his wife and aides. Their safety and rights would be guaranteed, he said.

 REUTERS/Williams/ Qasim