Credit:  ICC.int /  Charles  Blé Goudé ,  Ivory Coast ex-youth leader, 29 September 2014,  at the confirmation of war crimes charges hearing in the case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Netherlands).  In January 2019,   Blé Goudé was acquitted of all alleged war crimes charges.

By Gary Raynaldo         DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Charles Blé Goudé was known as Ivory Coast’s “street general”  for his charisma and ability to rally the West African nation’s youth  and stir up crowds  during emotional speeches condemning colonialism.  Blé Goudé was also former President Laurent Gbagbo’s right hand  man during the  civil conflict in Ivory Coast resulting from a disputed election in 2010 with Alassane Ouattara.  The UN declared  Ouattara the winner.  Gbagbo and Blé Goudé were later arrested by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ivory Coast during the civil conflict.  Some 3,000 persons were killed in the Ivorian civil war. 

ICC Acquits Laurent Gbagbo and  Blé Goudé of All War Crimes Charges

Credit:  ©ICC-CPI / Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé at the hearing held on 15 January 2019 before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé were acquitted of all war crime crime charges against them in January 2019, and both were released from jail in The Hague.  

Ivory Coast government of President Ouattara Sentenced Blé Goudé in Absentia to  20 years

The Ivory Coast government of President Ouattara has sentenced Blé Goudé in absentia to  20 years in prison for his role in the civil war in which the ICC cleared him of war crimes charges, it was reported Thursday by France24.      Blé Goudé  said he was “surprised by the verdict”, adding that he had been sentenced to 20 years in prison, 10 years deprivation of his civil rights, and a fine of 200 million CFA francs ($340,000) to be paid to the victims. The court has issued an arrest warrant for him, he added. According to news reports,  an arrest warrant has been issued for Blé Goudé  and an Ivory Coast court intents to try him for allegations of “torture, murder, rape”. 

Ivory Coast  Issues Arrest Warrant For Guillaume Soro – Accused of “Insurrection”

Credit:  Wikipedia Commons /  Former rebel leader Guillaume Soro is a candidate in next year’s Presidential Election in  West Africa nation Côte d’Ivoire.

The announcement of the  jail sentence against Blé Goudé comes right after the Ivory Coast government  issued an arrest warrant this week  for Guillaume Soro, a former Prime Minister and now a candidate in next year’s presidential election for involvement in an alleged coup plot against the country. Public prosecutor Richard Adou announced on  state television that an arrest warrant had been issued for breaches of state security, receiving stolen public resources and money laundering.  The Prosecutor said the alleged coup plot involved amassing weapons.

Charles Blé Goudé   and  Guillaume  Soro  Meet in Europe 

Soro, the former rebel leader, turned politician,  was apparently in Paris aboard a flight bound for Abidjan when he got the news of the arrest warrant against him.    Soro, 47,  was in Europe the past six months, and met with Ivory Coast activist Charles Blé Goudé at The Hague last month.  Soro was headed to Abidjan from Paris last Monday but diverted his private flight to neighboring Ghana “for security reasons”,  according  to his adviser.  The arrest warrant for Soro prevented him from returning to Ivory Coast  after spending six months in Europe.  Soro is reportedly  in Spain, and has vowed to “organize the resistance to President Alassane Ouattara”  from Europe.  

“It is only a question of political resistance,” Soro told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche following accusations he was preparing an imminent “civilian military insurrection” to seize power. “I am and remain a presidential candidate… I will organise the resistance just as de Gaulle did from London,” he said, referring to the French wartime resistance leader.

Opposition Says Ivory Coast Arrest Warrant Is Politically Motivated To Silence Dissent.

There has been talk of a political alliance between  Blé Goudé,  Soro, and Gbagbo if they are allowed to return to Ivory Coast ahead of scheduled elections in October 2020.  Either Gbagbo,  Blé Goudé,  or  Soro could emerge as a candidate in the elections. Apparently, this scenario is not to the liking of current President Ouattara, who it has been suggested, by refuse to step down.