Ivory Coast’s electoral commission has said opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara has won the presidential run-off but the Constitutional Council has contested the announcement.
In the last few days there have been reported clashes and attacks on civilians and some have died. But as the tag of war continues between two bodies over the election results, the Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a statment that he’s watching the events closely.
Supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo had tried to block the result, saying there had been fraud in the north.
Former rebels control this area. It is also where Mr Ouattara is most popular.
Côte d’Ivoire accepted the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes committed on its territory in October 2003.
SO far there’s been little efforts from presidential candidates to calm their supporters and ICC has asked the political figures to do more.
I invite the Ivorian authorities to investigate criminal incidents that have already occurred and to do everything possible to deter future ones. All reported acts of violence will be closely scrutinized by the Office.” – Fatou Bensouda, Deputy Prosecutor of the ICC
The ICC has already taken on the case of post election violence in Kenya and many look up to it to fully bring those that were behind the 2007 violence to book. Elections on the African soil have increasingly become a way down to violence rather than liberty.
And we can only watch to see where the events in Ivory Coast will head.
Rosebell Kagumire 