Gbagbo's party gives fresh conditions for reconciliation

Former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo

Gbagbo's party gives fresh conditions for reconciliation
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The supporters of former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo have called for the return of the regular army and police as a precondition for reconciliation in the country.  

Spokesman of the former president’s Majority Party (LMP), Wawou Djomande, told traditional leaders in Man-Abidjan that the supporters of the former leader “suffer ridicule and assaults’’ by the FRCI.

Diomande said the return of regular forces on the street and the opening of court proceedings against those who committed human rights violation during the crisis would greatly enhance the process of reconciliation.

 “You have to build trust so that people return to the country because most of our comrades have fled. We condemn in strong terms the hideous and shameless marketing of the image of Gbagbo, whose pictures have suffered degrading treatment, especially in the village and communities of Man. It is wrong to humiliate someone that embodied, just in the recent past, the history of this country,’’ he said.

Djomande also called for the release of the LMP members that have been detained for long without prosecution.

 A difficult request

The host of the meeting and a leader in the Man community, Yao, advised the supporters of the former president to always choose their words carefully and ensure that they use a good tone for the reconciliation process to succeed.

 “Men come in and go out, but the country remains. After Houphouet-Boigny there was Konan Bedie, then Robert Guei and Laurent Gbagbo. Now it is President Alassane Ouattara’s turn to drive this country on the path of development. Life is like that,’’ he said.

He said the release of political prisoners would be a difficult request to meet because of the crimes committed by various persons in government.

NAN/Shakira/Williams