Ivory Coast ex-leader Gbagbo heads home after war crimes acquittal

Former president Laurent Gbagbo returns to Ivory Coast on Thursday for the first time in nearly a decade, after he was cleared of crimes against humanity and his once-bitter rival welcomed him back in the name of reconciliation.

Gbagbo left the country in humiliation in 2011, after his refusal to accept defeat in an election sparked a conflict that ended in his arrest and dispatch to The Hague.The 76-year-old's homecoming will be a key test of stability in Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa producer and the wealthiest country in francophone West Africa.Gbagbo is set to land in economic hub Abidjan at 1545 GMT aboard a commercial flight from Brussels, his home since the International Criminal Court (ICC) acquitted him in a shock decision in 2019. An appeal against the ruling failed in March, paving the way for his return.

He was ousted in April 2011 after around 3,000 people died in the months-long conflict that followed his refusal to accept electoral defeat at the hands of Alassane Ouattara, the current president.

- Crowds to cheer him on -

Today, Gbagbo has been recast in the role of statesman, called upon to help national reconciliation after elections last year left scores dead.Ouattara, 79, has facilitated his return, issuing his rival with a diplomatic passport and promising him the rewards and status due to ex-presidents.Ouattara is letting Gbagbo use the presidential salon at Abidjan airport upon arrival, and tents will be set up for dozens of notables to hail his return.He will then travel through the city to the Attoban neighbourhood, where his old 2010 campaign headquarters are located, according to a statement from his Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party.

His motorcade will pass through several areas where crowds of supporters are expected to gather to cheer him on.

The party had been in discussions with the government about the scale of the celebrations, with the government preferring a more discrete event.

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