Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday asked that Ivory Coast’s former president, Laurent Gbagbo, should be kept in custody while they prepare an appeal against his acquittal. A former university professor turned activist, Gbagbo spent much of the 1980s in exile in France. After returning, he lost the 1990 presidential vote and spent six months in prison in 1992 for his role in student protests. In the 2010 race, Gbagbo came top in the first round with 38% of the vote before losing to Ouattara in the runoff. The government said in a statement that the decision to acquit Gbagbo would bolster peace in Ivory Coast.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 17, 2019 14:37 UTC