Ivory Coast’s ex-President Gbagbo returns home after ICC acquittal

Former Ivory Coast President, Laurent Gbagbo, has returned home, 10 years after he was taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity.

Mr Gbagbo has been living in the Belgian capital Brussels since his release from detention three years ago.

His successor and rival President Alassane Ouattara invited him back.

He was the first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC but was acquitted of all charges.

The 76-year-old was charged after his refusal to accept defeat in a 2010 election that triggered a civil war that left 3,000 people dead. He always denied all the allegations.

In March, the ICC appeals court upheld a 2019 acquittal, saying the prosecution had failed to prove its case against Mr Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé, an ally and former youth leader who was accused of leading a militia backing him.

SOURCEBBC