Ivorian leader Alassane Ouattara has said “trust has been restored” shortly after a one-on-one meeting with Henri Konan Bédié, the oldest member of the opposition, with whom he held crisis talks related to the October 31, 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Ouattara welcomed this “fraternal talks” which has led to what he called a newfound confidence in the country’s future.
He said both of them decided to ensure that Cote d’Ivoire is at peace, being cognisant of the fact that it is “the dearest thing to both and to all Ivorians”.
Their talks at the Hotel du Golf in Abidjan lasted for nearly 40 minutes.
The venue was itself seen as a symbolic place for Ouattara and Bedie who were holed up there during the blockade amidst the post-election crisis of 2010-2011.
“We decided to work to make it so; and this was a first meeting to restore confidence and we agreed to meet again very soon to continue this dialogue which has started well,” said Mr. Ouattara.
Through this “meeting today, we have broken the ice, the silence, and we will in the days and weeks to come continue to call to meet so that finally the country becomes what it was before,” said Mr. Bédié.
The talks were held after Bédié agreed to dialogue with Ouattara, who after his re-election for another term, requested a meeting with the head of the Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI) for a frank and sincere exchanges.
The opposition, which does not recognise the presidential election, called on its supporters to embark on civil disobedience and stop the vote from taking place.
Following this, sporadic violence flared up across the country, leading to deaths.
Bédié and Affi Nguessan, the leader of the opposition Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), both of them presidential candidates, refused to participate in the election convinced that the conditions for a credible poll have not been met.
After the creation of the National Transitional Council, chaired by Mr. Bedié, which is expected to establish a transitional government, the government broke the momentum, imposing a blockade on the homes of some opposition leaders.
In a communiqué, PDCI called for the release of detained opposition and civil society leaders and for a halt to legal proceedings against them.
AP/ls/lb/as/APA