Cote D’voire fighters to disarm -Ouattara

The Internationally acclaimed President of Cote D’voire, Alassane Ouattara has called on all fighters in the country to put down their arms now that the longtime strongman has been captured after his refusal to cede power.

Ouattara ‘s call is coming as sporadic gun shots can be heard in capital main city, Abidjan, a day after former President Laurent Gbagbo was arrested.

Cease fire call

In an address to the nation on radio and television late Monday, he said: "After more than four months of post-electoral crisis, marked by so many human lives lost, we are finally at the dawn of a new era of hope."

Still fearful of the many armed fighters prowling the streets and refusing to believe their leader Laurent Gbagbo had been arrested, Residents of the commercial capital of Abidjan refrained from celebrating in public.

Residents in the rest of the city said that most of the combat had ceased, though gunfire continued around three university student residences where pro-Gbagbo militia are believed to stay.
Gbagbo's security forces have been accused of using mortars and machine guns to mow down opponents during the standoff.

Accumulated Harm

About one million civilians fled their homes and untold numbers were killed in the more than four-month power struggle between the two rivals.

The world's largest cocoa producer once divided in two by a civil war nearly a decade ago experienced another threat of a civil war.

Truth Commission

Ouattara also called on his supporters to refrain from retaliatory violence and said he intended to establish a truth and reconciliation commission.

He cut short speculation that Gbagbo would be delivered to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, calling for an Ivorian investigation into the former president, his wife and their entourage.

In his words, "Every measure has been taken to assure the physical integrity of Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, his wife and all those arrested” adding that "They will receive dignified treatment and their rights will be respected."

AP/Grace/ Qasim