Ex-ICC prisoner Gbagbo in DRC for former jail-mate's bash
Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo attends a meeting with traditional chiefs and members of his party at his residence in Mama on June 28, 2021. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- Gbagbo will attend the wedding of Bemba's son this weekend, the person said on condition of anonymity.
Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo flew into the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday to attend a wedding bash thrown by his former jail-mate at the International Criminal Court, a source said.
Just two weeks after returning to Ivory Coast after almost 10 years in detention, Gbagbo flew into Kinshasa and met Congolese politician and strongman Jean-Pierre Bemba "as part of a strictly private visit", a person close to Bemba said.
Gbagbo will attend the wedding of Bemba's son this weekend, the person said on condition of anonymity.
Gbagbo had recently said he had made friends with Bemba as both men were being prosecuted for different war crimes at the ICC. Both were initially convicted and later exonerated on appeal.
Gbagbo returned to Abidjan on June 17 after being acquitted of crimes against humanity by the ICC in March.
He was arrested in April 2011 after his refusal to accept electoral defeat sparked a conflict that claimed thousands of lives.
