Editing Laurent Gbagbo

{{Short description|President of Côte d'Ivoire from 2000 to 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Laurent Gbagbo (2008).jpg
| caption             = Gbagbo in 2008
| order               = 4th
| office              = President of Côte d'Ivoire
| term_start          = 26 October 2000
| term_end            = 11 April 2011{{NoteTag|The presidency was disputed between Gbagbo and [[Alassane Ouattara]] from 4 December 2010 to 11 April 2011, at which time Gbagbo was arrested by UN forces.}}
| primeminister       = {{ubl|[[Seydou Diarra]]|[[Pascal Affi N'Guessan]]|Seydou Diarra|[[Charles Konan Banny]]|[[Guillaume Soro]]|[[Gilbert Aké]]}}
| predecessor         = [[Robert Guéï]]
| successor           = [[Alassane Ouattara]]
| birth_name          = Koudou Laurent Gbagbo
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1945|5|31}}
| birth_place         = [[Gagnoa]], [[French West Africa]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| nationality         = Ivorian
| party               = {{ubl|[[Ivorian Popular Front|FPI]] (1982–2021)|[[PPA–CI]] (since 2021)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-expresidente-marfileno-laurent-gbagbo-vuelve-escena-politica-presentacion-nuevo-partido-20211016102049.html|title=El expresidente marfileño Laurent Gbagbo vuelve a la escena política en la presentación de su nuevo partido|website=Europa Press Internacional|date=16 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20211114-c%C3%B4te-d-ivoire-premier-congr%C3%A8s-pour-le-fpi-depuis-la-rupture-avec-laurent-gbagbo|title = Côte d'Ivoire: Premier congrès pour le FPI depuis la rupture avec Laurent Gbagbo|date = 14 November 2021}}</ref>}}
| spouse              = [[Simone Gbagbo]]
| alma_mater          = [[Paris Diderot University]]
| website             = {{Official website|http://www.gbagbo.ci/}}
| module              = {{Infobox criminal|child=yes
| charge              = [[Crimes against humanity]] (dismissed)
| imprisoned          = [[Scheveningen prison]]}}
}}

'''Koudou Laurent Gbagbo'''{{NoteTag|English pronunciations vary, with {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|æ|ɡ|b|oʊ}} common. In [[Bété language|Bete]] and other Ivorian languages, the ''g'' and ''b'' are [[Voiced labial-velar plosive|pronounced simultaneously]], as {{IPA|btg|ɡ͡baɡ͡bo}}.}}<ref name="FPI">[http://www.fpi.ci/premier_presi.htm "Qui est Laurent Gbagbo ?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802190023/http://www.fpi.ci/premier_presi.htm |date= 2 August 2008 }}, FPI website {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> ([[Gagnoa Bété]]: {{lang|btg|Gbagbo}} {{IPA|[ɡ͡baɡ͡bo]|}}; {{IPA|fr|loʁɑ̃  baɡbo}}; born 31 May 1945) is an Ivorian politician who was the [[president of Côte d'Ivoire]] from 2000 until his arrest in April 2011. He was the first president in the history of the country that was a [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]] politician. A historian, Gbagbo was imprisoned in the early 1970s and again in the early 1990s, and he lived in exile in France during much of the 1980s as a result of his union activism. Gbagbo founded the [[Ivorian Popular Front]] (FPI) in 1982 and ran unsuccessfully for president against [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]] at the start of multi-party politics in 1990. He won a seat in the [[National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire]] in 1990.

Gbagbo claimed victory after [[Robert Guéï]], head of a [[military junta]], barred other leading politicians from running in the [[2000 Ivorian presidential election|October 2000 presidential election]]. The Ivorian people took to the streets, toppling Guéï. Gbagbo was then installed as president.

In the [[2010 Ivorian presidential election|2010 presidential election]], [[Alassane Ouattara]] defeated Gbagbo, and was recognized as the winner by election observers, the international community, the [[African Union]] (AU), and the [[Economic Community of West African States]]. However, Gbagbo refused to step down, despite mounting international pressure.<ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/20101221-ivory-coast-fear-violence-abidjan-gbagbo-resists-international-pressure-ouattara Fear of violence in Abidjan as Gbagbo refuses to step down], France24 (21 December 2010).</ref><ref>Tim Cocks, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/01/AR2011010100676.html Ivory Coast president has limited time to step down with impunity], ''Washington Post'' (1 January 2011).</ref> The [[Independent Electoral Commission]] (IEC) announced that Ouattara had won the race with 54% of the vote, a tally that the United Nations concluded was credible; however, the [[Constitutional Council (Ivory Coast)|Constitutional Council]], a body dominated by pro-Gbagbo members, annulled the results in Ouattara's electoral strongholds in the north, claiming fraud, and declared Gbagbo the winner with 51% of the vote.<ref name="2013FH">''[https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/c-te-divoire Freedom in the World 2013: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties]'' ([[Freedom House]], 2013).</ref> In December 2010, both Gbagbo and Ouattara assumed the presidency, triggering a [[2010–2011 Ivorian crisis|short period of civil conflict]] in which about 3,000 people were killed.<ref name="Wamsley">Laurel Wamsley, [https://www.npr.org/2019/01/15/685509479/international-criminal-court-drops-war-crimes-charges-against-ex-ivory-coast-lea International Criminal Court Drops War Crimes Charges Against Ex-Ivory Coast Leader], NPR (15 January 2019).</ref>

Gbagbo was arrested in 2011 by pro-Ouattara forces, who were [[Opération Licorne|supported by French troops]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/africa/12ivory.html Leader’s Arrest in Ivory Coast Ends Standoff], ''New York Times'' (12 April 2011).</ref> Gbagbo was extradited to [[The Hague]] in November 2011, where he was charged with four counts of [[crimes against humanity]] in the [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC) in connection with the post-election violence.<ref name="Wamsley" /><ref name="Smith">David Smith, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/05/laurent-gbagbo-international-criminal-court1 Laurent Gbagbo appears before international criminal court], ''The Guardian'' (5 December 2011).</ref> Gbagbo was the first former [[head of state]] to be taken into the court's custody. In January 2019, an ICC panel dismissed the charges against Gbagbo and one of his former ministers, [[Charles Blé Goudé]], determining that the evidence presented was insufficient to prove that the pair committed crimes against humanity.<ref name="Wamsley" /><ref name="Smith" /> Prosecutors appealed the decision, and Gbagbo was prohibited from returning to Côte d'Ivoire pending the appeal proceedings.<ref name="KeepCustody">[https://www.france24.com/en/20190118-ivory-coast-icc-grants-prosecution-request-ivorian-ex-leader-gbagbo-custody-appeal ICC grants prosecution request to keep Ivorian ex-leader Gbagbo in custody], France24 (18 January 2019).</ref> The ICC ultimately upheld Gbagbo's acquittal, and in April 2021, Ouattara stated he and Blé Goudé were free to return to the country.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Laurent Gbagbo|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c46zppwgw6lt/laurent-gbagbo|access-date=7 April 2021|website=BBC News|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Early life and academic career ==
Laurent Gbagbo was born on 31 May 1945 to a [[Catholic Church in Ivory Coast|Roman Catholic]] family of the [[Bété people]] in<!-- the village of Mama, near  --> [[Gagnoa]] in the then [[French West Africa]].<ref>{{Citation|url = https://www.britannica.com/biography/Laurent-Gbagbo |title= Laurent Gbagbo|year = 2020|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> He became a history professor and an opponent of the regime of President [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Noble |first=Kenneth B. |last2=Times |first2=Special To the New York |date=1990-10-30 |title=President Leads in Ivory Coast Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/30/world/president-leads-in-ivory-coast-election.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He was imprisoned from 31 March 1971 to January 1973. In 1979, he obtained his doctorate at [[Paris Diderot University]]. In 1980, he became Director of the Institute of History, Art, and African Archeology at the [[University of Abidjan]]. He participated in a 1982 teachers' strike as a member of the National Trade Union of Research and Higher Education. Gbagbo went into exile in France.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OelF9LrRXHsC&pg=PA65|title=African Leaders: Guiding the New Millennium|last=Rake|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Rake|date=2001|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810840195|pages=65–69|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzPECwAAQBAJ&pg=PA104|title=From Lumumba to Gbagbo: Africa in the Eddy of the Euro-American Quest for Exceptionalism|last=Frindethie|first=K. Martial|date=25 January 2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786494040|pages=86–126|language=en}}</ref>

== Political career ==
During the 1982 strike, Koudou Gbagbo formed what would become the [[Ivorian Popular Front]] (FPI). He returned to Côte d'Ivoire on 13 September 1988 and at the FPI's constitutive congress, held on 19–20 November 1988, he was elected as the party's Secretary-General.<ref name=FPI/>

Gbagbo said in July 2008 that he had received crucial support from [[Blaise Compaoré]], formerly the President of [[Burkina Faso]], while he was part of the underground opposition to Houphouët-Boigny.<ref>[http://apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=70868 "Gbagbo acknowledges receiving underground support from Compaoré against Boigny"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, African Press Agency, 29 July 2008.</ref>

Following the introduction of multiparty politics in 1990, Gbagbo challenged Houphouët-Boigny in the [[1990 Ivorian presidential election|October 1990 presidential election]]. Gbagbo contended that Houphouët-Boigny, who was either 85 or 90 years old (depending on the source), was not likely to survive a seventh five-year term. This failed to resonate with voters, and Gbagbo officially received 18.3% of the vote against Houphouët-Boigny. In the [[1990 Ivorian parliamentary election|November 1990 parliamentary election]], Gbagbo won a seat in the [[National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire|National Assembly]], along with eight other members of the FPI.<ref name=FPI/><ref name=Mundt>Robert J. Mundt, "Côte d'Ivoire: Continuity and Change in a Semi-Democracy", ''Political Reform in Francophone Africa'' (1997), ed. Clark and Gardinier, pp. 191–192 {{ISBN|0-8133-2785-7}}</ref>

Gbagbo was elected to a seat from Ouragahio District in Gagnoa Department and was President of the FPI Parliamentary Group from 1990 to 1995.<ref name=FPI/> In 1992 he was sentenced to two years in prison and charged with inciting violence, but was released later in the year.<ref name=Mundt/> The FPI boycotted the [[1995 Ivorian presidential election|1995 presidential election]]. In 1996 Gbagbo was re-elected to his seat in the National Assembly from Ouragahio, following a delay in the holding of the election there, and in the same year he was elected as President of the FPI.<ref name=FPI/>
[[File:Le Président de la Côte d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo et Vahid Halilhodzic, Sol Beni, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 30.05.'08 (8932).jpg|thumb|The President of Côte d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo and Vahid Halilhodzic, Sol Beni, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in May 2008]]
At the FPI's 3rd Ordinary Congress on 9–11 July 1999, Gbagbo was chosen as the FPI's candidate for the [[2000 Ivorian presidential election|October 2000 presidential election]].<ref name=FPI/> That election took place after a [[1999 Ivorian coup d'état|December 1999 coup]] in which retired general [[Robert Guéï]] took power. Guéï refused to allow his predecessor as president, [[Henri Konan Bédié]], or former prime minister [[Alassane Ouattara]] to run, leaving Gbagbo as the only significant opposition candidate. Guéï claimed victory in the election, held on 22 October 2000. However, after it emerged that Gbagbo had actually won by a significant margin, street protests forced Guéï to flee the capital. Gbagbo installed himself as president on 26 October.<ref>{{Harvnb|Frindethie|2016|p=102}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DqEGulGWVdgC&pg=PA112|title=Grammars of Identity/alterity: A Structural Approach|last1=Baumann|first1=Gerd|last2=Gingrich|first2=André|date=15 November 2005|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=9781845451080|pages=112–41|language=en}}</ref>

==Civil war==
{{main|First Ivorian Civil War}}
Following the contested election of 2000, there were violent clashes between supporters of the FPI and supporters of the RDR. A [[mass grave]] of 57 bodies was found in [[Yopougon]], Abidjan, in November 2000, containing the corpses of RDR supporters killed by FPI-aligned militias. The RDR launched an [[electoral boycott]] of the December 2000 elections to the parliament. The following month, an attempted [[2001 Ivorian coup attempt|coup d'etat]] against Gbagbo occurred. The government then intensified a crackdown on northerners and those thought to be [[Alassane Ouattara]] supporters; many were jailed or killed.<ref name="Rudolph 2016 288, 292">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjkVCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA292|title=Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts|edition=2nd|last=Rudolph|first=Joseph R. Jr|date=2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781610695534|pages=288, 292|language=en}}</ref>

On 19 September 2002 a [[2002 Ivorian coup attempt|revolt]] by northerners against Gbagbo's government partly failed. The rebels, calling themselves the ''Forces Nouvelles'', attempted to seize the cities of Abidjan, [[Bouaké]], and [[Korhogo]]. They failed to take Abidjan, but were successful in the other two cities, as Gbagbo loyalists, with French military assistance, repulsed the attack.<ref name="Rudolph 2016 288, 292"/> Rebels of the [[Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire]] took control of the northern part of the country.

In March 2003, a new cross-party agreement was made for the formation of a new government led by a consensus figure, [[Seydou Diarra]], and including nine ministers from the rebels, and one year later, UN peacekeeping forces arrived in the country.<ref name="Timeline">[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13287585 Ivory Coast profile – Timeline], BBC news (15 January 2019).</ref> In March 2004, however, an anti-Gbagbo rally took place in Abidjan;<ref name="Timeline"/> government soldiers responded by killing some 120 people.<ref name="Watts">Tim J. Watts, "Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)" in ''Atrocities, Massacres, and War Crimes: An Encyclopedia'' (ed. Alexander Mikaberidze: Vol. 1: ABC-CLIO, 2013), p. 329.</ref> A subsequent UN report concluded that Ivorian government was responsible for the massacre.<ref name="Watts"/>

==Post-Civil War==

The peace agreement effectively collapsed in early November 2004 following elections that critics claimed were undemocratic and the rebels' subsequent refusal to disarm. During an airstrike in Bouaké on 6 November 2004, nine French soldiers were killed. While the Ivorian government has claimed the attack on the French soldiers was accidental,<ref>Sengupta, Somini (7 November 2004) [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/international/africa/07ivory.html "Ivory Coast Violence Flares; 9 French and 1 U.S. Death"] ''The New York Times''</ref> French governmental sources claimed it was deliberate and responded by [[2004 French–Ivorian clashes|destroying most Ivorian military aircraft]].<ref>Navarro, N. and Gnanih, A-H. (14 June 2008) [http://www.france24.com/en/20080614-ivory-coast-bernard-kouchner-gbabgo-france&navi=AFRIQUE "French foreign minister's visit is first since 2003"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520122915/http://www.france24.com/en/20080614-ivory-coast-bernard-kouchner-gbabgo-france%26navi%3DAFRIQUE |date=20 May 2011 }} ''France 24 International News''</ref><ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=49576&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=COTE_D_IVOIRE "UN endorses plan to leave president in office beyond mandate"], IRIN, 14 October 2005.</ref>

With the late October deadline approaching in 2006, it was regarded as very unlikely that the election would in fact be held by that point, and the opposition and the rebels rejected the possibility of another term extension for Gbagbo.<ref>Joe Bavier, [http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-18-voa13.cfm "Ivory Coast Opposition, Rebels Say No to Term Extension for President"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824210541/http://voanews.com/english/2006-08-18-voa13.cfm |date=24 August 2006 }}, VOA News, 18 August 2006.</ref> The UN Security Council endorsed another one-year extension of Gbagbo's term on 1 November 2006; to not forget, many of the rebels held their guns and were prepared to advance again, however, the resolution provided for the strengthening of Prime Minister [[Charles Konan Banny]]'s powers. Gbagbo said the next day that elements of the resolution deemed to be constitutional violations would not be applied.<ref>[http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=56232&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=COTE_D_IVOIRE "Partial rejection of UN peace plan"], IRIN, 2 November 2006.</ref>

A peace deal between the government and the rebels, or [[Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire|New Forces]], was signed on 4 March 2007, in [[Ouagadougou]], Burkina Faso, and subsequently [[Guillaume Soro]], leader of the New Forces, became prime minister.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/04/africa/AF-GEN-Ivory-Coast-Prime-Minister.php "Former rebel leader takes over as Ivory Coast's prime minister"], Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), 4 April 2007.</ref><ref name=Boost>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20070412095335190C984275 "New Ivory Coast govt 'a boost for Gbagbo'"], AFP (''IOL''), 12 April 2007.</ref> Those events were seen by some observers as substantially strengthening Gbagbo's position.<ref name=Boost/>

Gbagbo visited the north for the first time since the outbreak of the war for a disarmament ceremony, the "peace flame", on 30 July 2007. This ceremony involved burning weapons to symbolize the end of the conflict.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6921585.stm "Ivory Coast leaders burn weapons"], BBC News, 30 July 2007.</ref><ref name=Zone>[http://www.jeuneafrique.com/fluxafp/fil_info.asp?reg_id=0&art_cle=38365 "Côte d'Ivoire: Gbagbo en zone rebelle pour prôner la paix et des élections rapides"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930183623/http://www.jeuneafrique.com/fluxafp/fil_info.asp?reg_id=0&art_cle=38365 |date=30 September 2007 }}, AFP (Jeuneafrique.com), 30 July 2007 {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> At the ceremony, Gbagbo declared the war over and said that the country should move quickly to elections, which were then planned for early 2008.<ref name=Zone/>

On 30 August 2008, Gbagbo was designated the FPI's candidate for the [[2008 Ivorian presidential election|November 2008 presidential election]] at a party congress; he was the only candidate for the FPI nomination.<ref>[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i2MYEqJ7oQPSukeY8PyPewuaknbQ "I Coast President Gbagbo wins party nomination for November poll"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520164510/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i2MYEqJ7oQPSukeY8PyPewuaknbQ |date=20 May 2011 }}, AFP, 30 August 2008.</ref> The presidential election was again postponed to 2010.

==2010 presidential election and post-election violence==
{{main|2010 Ivorian presidential election|2010–2011 Ivorian crisis|Second Ivorian Civil War}}
In 2010, Côte d'Ivoire had a presidential election. Gbagbo, whose mandate had expired in 2005, had delayed the election several times.<ref name="Nossiter">Adam Nossiter, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/world/africa/01ivorycoast.html After Delays, a Vote for a President in Ivory Coast], ''New York Times'' (1 November 2010).</ref> In the first round, Gbagbo faced 14 challengers; the two main ones were [[Henri Konan Bédié]], who had been deposed in a coup eleven years earlier, and [[Alassane Ouattara]], a former prime minister and [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] official.<ref name="Nossiter"/> In the first round, no candidate secured a majority of more than 50%, triggering a [[Runoff election|runoff]] between the top two vote-getters: Gbagbo (who had received 38% of the vote in the first round) and Ouattara (who received 32% of the vote in the first round).<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-11861346 Ivory Coast awaits Gbagbo-Ouattara run-off result], BBC News (29 November 2010).</ref>

On 28 November 2010, the second round of the presidential election was held. Four days later the Independent Election Commission (CEI) declared Ouattara the winner with 54.1% of the vote.<ref name="Kamara">{{Cite news |last=Kamara |first=Ahmed M. |date=3 December 2010 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/3/ivory-coast-election-president-ouattara-wins-third-term |title=Alassane Ouattara has been declared winner of the Ivory Coast presidential election by the French |publisher=Newstime Africa |access-date=11 January 2011 }}</ref> Gbagbo's party complained of fraud and ordered that votes from nine regions occupied by the ex-rebels "became FN after the Ouagadougou agreement" be annulled, but the claims were disputed by the Ivorian Electoral Commission and international election observers.<ref name="UN-urges">{{cite news |date=20 December 2010 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12045387 |title=UN urges recognition of Ouattara as Ivory Coast leader |work=BBC News }}</ref> The Constitutional Council nullified the CEI's declaration based on alleged voting fraud, and excluded votes from nine northern areas.<ref name="Poll-overturned">{{cite news |date=3 December 2010 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11913832 |title=Ivory Coast poll overturned: Gbagbo declared winner |work=BBC News }}</ref>

The Constitutional Council concluded that without these votes Gbagbo won with 51% of the remaining vote.<ref name="UN-urges" /> The constitutional restriction on Presidents serving more than ten years was not addressed. With a significant portion of the country's vote nullified, especially in areas where Ouattara polled well,<ref name="Poll-overturned" /> tensions mounted in the country. Gbagbo ordered the army to close the borders and foreign news organizations were banned from broadcasting from within the country. [[United States Secretary of State]] [[Hillary Clinton]] urged the government to "act responsibly and peacefully."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5il4YdEG-gbGz0__DZ6WsJxGNemMA?docId=CNG.66f68c0742f30ea582dc3640f544f237.b51 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103065329/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5il4YdEG-gbGz0__DZ6WsJxGNemMA?docId=CNG.66f68c0742f30ea582dc3640f544f237.b51 |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 January 2013 |title=US urges Ivory Coast leaders to act responsibly |agency=AFP |date=30 November 2010}}</ref>

Gbagbo declared that "I will continue to work with all the countries of the world, but I will never give up our sovereignty."<ref name="Cocks">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-53354620101205|title=Ivory Coast's Gbagbo sworn in, faces rejection abroad|last1=Cocks|first1=Tim|date=5 December 2010|work=Reuters|access-date=17 January 2019|last2=Coulibaly|first2=Loucoumane|language=en}}</ref> On 4 December 2010, one day after military leadership pledged their continuing loyalty to him, Gbagbo again took the oath of office in a ceremony broadcast on state television. Gbagbo's claim to continue in office was not accepted internationally, and rejected by the France, the U.S., the United Nations, the African Union, and the regional bloc [[ECOWAS]],<ref name="Cocks"/> all of which recognized Ouattara as the duly elected president and called for Gbagbo to respect the will of the people.<ref name="Abidjan.net">{{Cite news |url=http://news.abidjan.net/h/383826.html |title=Jean Ping a remis à Gbagbo une lettre lui demandant de partir |date=18 December 2010 |agency=AFP |publisher=Abidjan.net}}</ref>

Gbagbo responded by launching ethnic attacks on northerners living in Abidjan with his army made up partly of Liberian mercenaries,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.abidjan.net/h/383829.html |title=Le camp Gbagbo veut livrer le "combat" contre Ouattara |date=18 December 2010 |agency=AFP |publisher=Abidjan.net}}</ref><ref name="rfi.fr">{{Cite news |url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20101217-cote-ivoire |title=Côte d'Ivoire : la pression s'accentue sur Laurent Gbagbo |date=17 December 2010 |publisher=[[Radio France Internationale|RFI]]}}</ref> and rumours (unconfirmed because of restrictions on the movement of peacekeeping forces) of pro-Gbagbo death squads and mass graves have been reported to representatives of the UN.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Dave |last1=Clark |url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-12-23-un-hears-of-cocircte-divoire-atrocities |title=UN hears of Côte d'Ivoire atrocities |agency=AFP |date=23 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first1=David |last1=Smith |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/22/ivory-coast-death-squads |title=Ivory Coast: death squads on the rise as civil war looms |work=The Guardian |date=22 December 2010 |location=London}}</ref> Gbagbo is mainly supported by the largely Christian south; his opponents are mostly concentrated in the Muslim north.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12081492 | title=Ivory Coast: General strike called to pressure Gbagbo | access-date=26 December 2010 | date=26 December 2010 | publisher=BBC News Africa}}</ref> When Nigeria demanded Gbagbo step down and the EU began imposing sanctions and [[Asset freezing|freezing]] assets,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Federal Council orders freezing of any assets held by Laurent Gbagbo in Switzerland |url=https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-37286.html |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=www.admin.ch}}</ref> Gbagbo demanded that UN peacekeepers and French troops leave the country.<ref name="Abidjan.net"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12028263 |title=Gbagbo orders peacekeepers to leave Ivory Coast |date=18 December 2010 |work=BBC News }}</ref> Leaders of the Forces Nouvelles (former rebels) asserted that Gbagbo was not the head of state and could not make such a request and also asserted that the demand was a part of a plan to commit genocide against northerners, as stated by Gbagbo's Minister of Youth and Employment.<ref name="rfi.fr"/><ref>{{Cite press release |first=Iman Sékou |last=Sylla |url=http://news.abidjan.net/h/383849.html |title=Attaque des mosquées d'Abobo et de Bassam par des hommes en uniforme |publisher=COSIM Conseil supérieur des imams |date=18 December 2010 |postscript=,}} Abidjan.net</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |last=Bamba |first=Affoussy |title=Activités des forces impartiales en Côte d'Ivoire |url=http://news.abidjan.net/h/383847.html |publisher=[[Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire|Forces nouvelles]] |date=18 December 2010}}</ref>

The ensuing post-election violence resulted in the death of 3,000 people, and the [[Internally displaced person|displacement]] of between a half-million to a million other people.<ref name="Batros">Ben Batros, [https://www.justsecurity.org/62295/icc-acquittal-gbagbo-crimes-humanity/ The ICC Acquittal of Gbagbo: What Next for Crimes against Humanity?], ''Just Security'' (18 January 2019).</ref> On 11 April 2011, forces loyal to Ouattara supported by the French and UN forces moved to seize Gbagbo at his residence in Abidjan after failed negotiations to end the presidential succession crisis.<ref name="CNN-20110405">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/06/ivory.coast.unrest/|title=Source: Ouattara forces enter Gbagbo's Ivory Coast stronghold|publisher=CNN|date=5 April 2011|access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref> According to Ouattara, his forces established a security perimeter at the residence, where Gbagbo had sought refuge in a subterranean level, and were waiting for him to run out of food and water.<ref name="Fox-20110408">{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/gbagbos-pal-hell-choose-death-over-humiliation/|title=Gbagbo's pal: He'll choose death over humiliation|publisher=Fox News|agency=Associated Press|date=8 April 2011|access-date=8 April 2011}}</ref> The UN had insisted that he be arrested, judged and tried for crimes against humanity during his term and since the election of Ouattara.

===Arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court===
On 10 April 2011, UN and French helicopters fired rockets at the presidential residence. French special forces assisted forces loyal to Ouattara, the internationally recognized president, in their advance upon the compound. Gbagbo was captured in the bunker below the compound and placed under arrest by the Ouattara forces.<ref name="voa-capture">{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/fresh-clashes-erupt-in-ivory-coast-after-un-french-attacks-119588724/137817.html |title=Ivory Coast's Gbagbo Captured at Presidential Compound|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|date=10 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="wp-arrest">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ivory-coast-strongman-arrested-after-french-forces-intervene/2011/04/11/AFOBaeKD_story.html |title=Ivory Coast strongman arrested after French forces intervene |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=26 March 2011 |access-date=11 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/972702--gbagbo-captured-after-siege-on-bunker |title=Gbagbo captured after siege on bunker |work=Toronto Star  |date= 11 April 2011|access-date=11 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/53cd6854-6440-11e0-b171-00144feab49a |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/53cd6854-6440-11e0-b171-00144feab49a |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Gbagbo seized by Ivory Coast opposition|author=Katrina Manson & Peggy Hollinger|work=Financial Times|date=11 April 2011}}</ref> Gbagbo's lawyer stated that the government forces were able to storm the residence after French troops blasted a wall, opening up a "getaway" tunnel that had been dug on the orders of Gbagbo's predecessor, [[Félix Houphouët-Boigny]], and subsequently walled up by Gbagbo.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/embassy-tunnel-led-to-gbagbos-capture-hnd8g7mp6zt|title=Embassy tunnel led to Gbagbo's capture|author=John Follain|date=17 April 2011|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=17 January 2019|language=en|issn=0956-1382}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/cotedivoire/8431320/Ivory-Coast-as-it-happened-April-5.html|title=Ivory Coast: as it happened April 5|last=Chivers|first=Tom|date=5 April 2011|work=The Telegraph|access-date=17 January 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

Gbagbo was held in the Golf Hotel in Abidjan by Ouattara's forces, and requested protection from UN peacekeepers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/ozatp-ivorycoast-un-peacekeepers-gbagbo-idAFJOE73A0MX20110411|title=Gbagbo, wife in Ouattara's custody in I.Coast|work=Reuters|date=9 February 2009}}</ref> Speaking from the hotel, Gbagbo told the regular armies to stop fighting.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/11/ivory.coast.crisis/?hpt=T2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412034017/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/11/ivory.coast.crisis/?hpt=T2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 April 2011 |title=Gbagbo tells his supporters to stop fighting |publisher=CNN |date=11 April 2011 |access-date=12 April 2011}}</ref> U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] welcomed news of the developments and [[CNN]] quoted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as saying that Gbagbo's capture "sends a strong signal to dictators and tyrants. ... They may not disregard the voice of their own people".<ref>{{cite news |url = http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/11/ivory.coast.crisis/?hpt=T2 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110412034017/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/04/11/ivory.coast.crisis/?hpt=T2 |url-status = dead |archive-date = 12 April 2011 |title=Obama, Clinton welcome new developments |publisher=CNN |date=11 April 2011 |access-date=12 April 2011 }}</ref>

In October 2011, the [[International Criminal Court]] opened an investigation into acts of violence committed during the conflict after the election, and ICC chief prosecutor [[Luis Moreno Ocampo]] visited the country.<ref name="GbagdoArrives">{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15946481 |title=Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo arrives in The Hague |work=BBC News|date=30 November 2011}}</ref> The following month, the ICC formally issued an [[arrest warrant]] for Gbagbo, charging him with four counts of crimes against humanity – murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and other inhuman acts allegedly committed between 16 December 2010 and 12 April 2011.<ref name="GbagdoArrives"/>

Gbagbo was arrested in [[Korhogo]], where he had been placed under house arrest, and was placed on a flight to [[The Hague]] on 29 November 2011. An adviser to Gbagbo described the arrest as "victors' justice". Conversely, human rights groups hailed Gbagbo's arrest while also stating that pro-Ouattara forces that committed crimes should also be held accountable.<ref name="GbagdoArrives"/>

In 2012, Gbagbo's former budget minister Justin Kone Katinan, a close Gbagbo ally, was arrested on an international warrant in [[Accra]], Ghana, on charges of robbery arising from looting of banks in Ivory Coast. The following year, a Ghanaian magistrate rejected the extradition request, determining that the warrant issued by the Ivorian government was politically motivated.<ref>{{Citation|url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ghana-court-katinan/ghana-court-rejects-request-to-extradite-ivorian-fugitive-idUSBRE97T0MP20130830|title= Ghana court rejects request to extradite Ivorian fugitive|year = 2013|publisher=Reuters}}</ref>

===Proceedings in the ICC and acquittal===
The confirmation of charges hearing was scheduled for 18 June 2012, but was postponed to 13 August 2012, to give his defense team more time to prepare. The hearing was then postponed indefinitely, citing concerns over Gbagbo's health.<ref>{{cite web |last=Merrill|first=Austin|title=Ivory Coast: Sympathizers Defend Gbagbo |url = http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/ivory-coast-laurent-gbagbo-alassane-ouattara-civil-war-cocoa |work=Ivory Coast: Cocoa, Justice, and the Road to Reconciliation |publisher=Pulitzer Center/Foreign Policy }}</ref>

Gbagbo's trial at the ICC began on 28 January 2016, where he denied all charges against him; [[crimes against humanity]] including murder, [[rape]] and [[persecution]], as did his co-accused [[Charles Blé Goudé]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35424653|title=Laurent Gbagbo: Ivory Coast ex-leader denies war crimes|work=BBC News|date=28 January 2016|access-date=30 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/01/28/world/europe/ap-eu-international-court-ivory-coast.html |title=Ex-Ivory Coast Leader Pleads Not Guilty to Atrocities |date=28 January 2016 |agency=Associated Press|access-date=30 January 2016|via=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> Due to presenting a flight risk and maintaining a network of supporters, judges ordered him to remain in detention during his trial.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://ewn.co.za/2017/09/27/icc-former-ivory-coast-president-gbagbo-to-remain-in-detention-for-trial |title = ICC: Former Ivory Coast president Gbagbo to remain in detention for trial |agency = Reuters |access-date=26 October 2017 |language=en }}</ref> From January 2016 to January 2018, ICC prosecutors presented the testimony of 82 witnesses and thousands of pieces of evidence. Gbagbo filed a "[[no case to answer]]" motion in July 2018, and hearings were held in November 2018.<ref name="Batros"/>

On 15 January 2019 Gbagbo and Goudé were acquitted by an ICC panel and their release was ordered.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/15/ex-ivory-coast-president-laurent-gbagbo-acquitted-at-icc |title = Ex-Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo acquitted at ICC |last=Maclean |first=Ruth |date=15 January 2019 |newspaper = The Guardian}}</ref>  Presiding Judge [[Cuno Tarfusser]] and Judge Geoffrey Henderson ruled in favor of release; Judge [[Olga Venecia Herrera Carbuccia|Olga Carbuccia]] issued a [[dissenting opinion]].<ref name="Batros"/>

Many within the Ivory Coast celebrated Gbagbo's acquittal.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-46881807/crowds-react-to-ivory-coast-s-ex-president-laurent-gbagbo-s-release | title=  Crowds react to Ivory Coast's ex-President Laurent Gbagbo's release | date = 15 January 2019 | access-date = 15 January 2019 |work=BBC News}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] called the acquittal of Gbagbo and Blé Goudé "a crushing disappointment to victims of post-election violence in Cote d'Ivoire" but noted that the Office of the Prosecutor was likely to appeal.<ref>[https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/cote-divoire-acquittal-of-gbagbo-and-ble-goude-a-crushing-disappointment-to-victims-of-post-election-violence/ Cote d'Ivoire: Acquittal of Gbagbo and Blé Goudé a crushing disappointment to victims of post-election violence], Amnesty International (15 January 2018).</ref> The proceedings against Gbagbo were the first against a head of state undertaken by the ICC, and the failure of the ICC to convict Gbagbo for the mass atrocities was said by analysts to significantly impair the credibility of the ICC as a court of last resort.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46874517 |title=  Laurent Gbagbo case: Ivory Coast leader's acquittal rattles ICC foundations | first=  Anna | last = Holligan | date = 15 January 2019 | access-date = 15 January 2019 | work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/world/africa/laurent-gbagbo-ivory-coast-icc.html | title=  Laurent Gbagbo, Former Ivory Coast Leader, Acquitted of Crimes Against Humanity | first1 =  Dionne | last1 = Searcey | first2= Palko | last2= Karasz  | date =15 January 2019 | access-date = 15 January 2019 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

===Appeal===
The ICC (International Criminal Court) panel ordered Gbagbo's immediate release, but the ICC Appeals Chamber ordered that Gbagbo remain in custody pending consideration of ICC prosecutors' appeal against Gbagbo's acquittal.<ref name="KeepCustody"/> On 1 February 2019, he was released after ICC Appeals Chamber granted Gbagbo conditional release from detention; he was allowed to live in Belgium, but had to be available to return to court,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-Ivory Coast President Gbagbo conditionally released to Belgium: court|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-warcrimes-ivorycoast/ex-ivory-coast-president-gbagbo-conditionally-released-to-belgium-court-idUSKCN1PU2ET|work=Reuters |date=5 February 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and could not leave Belgium.<ref name=Corder>Mike Corder, [https://apnews.com/c00f3edafa411b15d7ff359cd547e1b1 Lawyers to ICC: Free Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo unconditionally], Associated Press (6 February 2020).</ref> Gbagbo's lawyers then petitioned the ICC for Gbagbo's unconditional release.<ref name=Corder/>

On 28 May 2020, the International Criminal Court gave Gbagbo permission to leave [[Belgium]] if certain conditions were met. At the time, it was unclear if he would be allowed to return to Côte d'Ivoire.<ref>{{cite web |title=ICC allows former I.Coast president Gbagbo to leave Belgium |url=https://news.yahoo.com/icc-allows-former-coast-president-gbagbo-leave-belgium-220247856.html |website=news.yahoo.com |access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref>

On 30 October 2020, Gbagbo said the [[2020 Ivorian presidential election]] spells "disaster" for the country, in his first public comments since being toppled in 2011. He gave the interview in Belgium, where he was awaiting the outcome of proceedings against him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-I.Coast president Gbagbo warns of 'disaster' in upcoming vote |url=https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/world/ex-i-coast-president-gbagbo-warns-of-disaster-in-upcoming-vote/ar-BB1aw1Qf?bep_ref=1&bep_csid=23298 |website=www.msn.com |access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref>

In March 2021, the ICC upheld Gbagbo's acquittal. Shortly afterwards, Ouattara stated he was free to return to Côte d'Ivoire.<ref name=":0" />

=== Return to Cote d'Ivoire ===
After his acquittal was confirmed, current Ivorian President [[Alassane Ouattara]], Gbagbo's rival, invited him back to Côte d'Ivoire.<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 June 2021|title=Ivory Coast's ex-President Gbagbo returns home after ICC acquittal|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57471468|access-date=18 June 2021}}</ref> He arrived in [[Abidjan|Adbidjan]] on 17 June 2021, on a commercial flight from [[Brussels]], where he had been living for the previous three years after being released from detention.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=17 June 2021|title=Ivory Coast's ex-President Gbagbo returns home after ICC acquittal|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57471468|access-date=14 July 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Ex-President Laurent Gbagbo back in Ivory Coast after acquittal|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/17/former-president-laurent-gbagbo-returns-to-ivory-coast|access-date=18 June 2021|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}}</ref> Ouattara arranged him a diplomatic passport, and promised him the benefits that are typically given to ex-presidents, including state-provided security and a state pension.<ref name=":1" />

Six of Gbagbo's former allies also returned after spending years in exile after being encouraged by the current president Ouattara.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20210614-three-key-factors-behind-laurent-gbagbo-s-return-to-c%C3%B4te-d-ivoire-alassane-ouattara-politics-elections-africa | title=Three key factors behind Laurent Gbagbo's return to Côte d'Ivoire |website=rfi.fr| date=14 June 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-ouattara-afirma-gbagbo-ble-goude-pueden-volver-costa-marfil-cuando-quieran-ser-absueltos-tpi-20210407152003.html | title=Ouattara afirma que Gbagbo y Blé Goudé pueden volver a Costa de Marfil "cuando quieran" tras ser absueltos por el TPI |website=Europa Press International| date=7 April 2021 }}</ref> In October 2021, Gbagbo launched a new political party called the African People's Party – Cote d'Ivoire (PPA-CI).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211016-gbagbo-takes-new-step-to-i-coast-presidency-as-new-party-holds-congress|title = Gbagbo takes new step to I.Coast presidency as new party holds congress|website=France 24|date = 16 October 2021}}</ref> In December 2021, he spent four days in [[Ghana]]. According to a statement from his party, he went there to attend the funeral of Captain [[Kojo Tsikata]], a man close to the former president of Ghana [[Jerry Rawlings]]. Laurent Gbagbo also visited the Ivorian exiles, whose return he wanted to the country since the Ivorian crisis, 11,000 Ivorians fled the post-election crisis to seek asylum in neighboring Ghana.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20211214-c%C3%B4te-d-ivoire-laurent-gbagbo-veut-le-retour-des-exil%C3%A9s-ivoiriens-au-ghana | title=Côte d'Ivoire: Laurent Gbagbo veut le retour des exilés ivoiriens au Ghana |website=rfi.fr| date=14 December 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Laurent-Gbagbo-eulogizes-Kojo-Tsikata-and-Rawlings-during-a-visit-to-Ghana-1425052 | title=Laurent Gbagbo eulogizes Kojo Tsikata and Rawlings during a visit to Ghana |website=GhanaWeb| date=16 December 2021 }}</ref>

On 10 March 2024, Gbagbo said that he would run again for president as leader of the PPA-CI in elections to be held in October 2025.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20240310-former-ivory-coast-president-gbagbo-agrees-to-run-in-2025-election | title=Former Ivorian president Gbagbo agrees to run in 2025 election |website=France 24 | date=10 March 2024}}</ref>

==Honours==
*{{flag|Ivory Coast}}:
**[[File:Cote d'Ivoire Ordre national GC ribbon.svg|70px]] Collar of the [[National Order of the Ivory Coast]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Africa|Biography|Politics}}
* [[Politics of Côte d'Ivoire]]
* [[First Ivorian Civil War]]
* [[Second Ivorian Civil War]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* {{Official website|www.gbagbo.ci}} {{in lang|fr}}
* ''[https://www.icc-cpi.int/cdi/gbagbo-goude The Prosecutor v. Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé]'' page from the [[International Criminal Court]] website

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{{s-bef|before=[[Robert Guéï]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of heads of state of Ivory Coast|President of the Ivory Coast]]|years=2000–2011}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alassane Ouattara]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{IvorianPresidents}}
{{ICC indictees (NavBox)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gbagbo, Laurent}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
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[[Category:Ivorian Roman Catholics]]
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[[Category:Presidents of Ivory Coast]]
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