The first voyage outside the Ivorian borders of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo returned to Côte d’Ivoire on June 17, after ten years at the ICC. He arrived in Kinshasa on Friday, July 2, early in the evening. A discreet journey: no picture of his arrival has been leaked on social networks. Gbagbo’s stay in the Democratic Republic of Congo responds to Jean-Pierre Bemba’s invitation.
as reported from Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
A car in the middle of a procession around 5 pm, local time: in Kinshasa, Laurent Gbagbo was entitled to protocol privileges linked to his rank as former head of state.
Several hours after his arrival, no general information about his presence was communicated. This visit is private, and Jean-Pierre Bemba, who invited it, wants to be very discreet when it comes to travel. He was to be accompanied by his second wife, Nady Bamba, his personal physician and his chief of staff.
What is known is that the former leader spent his first night in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a hotel in the city center, and that he spoke to the former Congolese vice president in very specific circumstances.
Laurent Gbagbo came to honor his former ICC prison by attending his son’s wedding scheduled for Kinshasa this weekend. They each spent ten years in prisons where they formed strong bonds.
According to a statement from the ex-president’s cabinet published on Wednesday, he would return to Côte d’Ivoire on July 8.
No meeting with President Félix Tshisekedi is officially scheduled.
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