I/Coast ex-president presented as peace-loving victim of France

Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, charged with fomenting a 2010 crisis that led to 3,000 deaths, actually tried to resolve the deadlock that plunged the country into civil war, his lawyers said on Monday. Opening his defense against war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, they portrayed him as a […]

Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, charged with fomenting a 2010 crisis that led to 3,000 deaths, actually tried to resolve the deadlock that plunged the country into civil war, his lawyers said on Monday.
Opening his defense against war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, they portrayed him as a victim of French colonial meddling who had sought peace.
Gbagbo, the highest ranking politician ever to appear before the court, stands accused of stoking the ethnic strife that sparked a four-month civil war after he refused to step down following his failed bid to be re-elected president in 2010.
Gbagbo’s lawyers said prosecutors had presented a selective account of recent Ivory Coast history, glossing over alleged crimes committed by his successor and political rival Alassane Outtara, who was re-elected last year.