Gbagbo Files For Divorce, To End 30-Year Marriage

Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo filed for divorce
on Monday from his wife of three decades, his lawyer said, days
after his highly anticipated return to the country.

Gbagbo’s lawyer Claude Mentenon said in a statement that after
years of “rejected requests for Simone Ehivet to consent to an
amicable separation”, the ex-president had asked an Abidjan court
for a divorce.

The announcement comes four days after Gbagbo returned to Ivory
Coast following a decade’s absence, during which he was tried for
crimes against humanity during the post-election conflict of
2010-11.

Simone Gbagbo wielded significant political influence as first
lady, and was arrested alongside her husband in April 2011 after he
refused to concede defeat, sparking a conflict that left some 3,000
people dead.

Gbagbo was sent to the International Criminal Court in The
Hague, where he was definitively acquitted in March after a lengthy
trial.

Simone Gbagbo was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in Ivory
Coast for “violating state security”, but was released in 2018
after seven years of detention as part of an amnesty.

Gbagbo’s homecoming comes after his once-bitter rival, current
President Alassane Ouattara, embraced his return in the name of
national reconciliation.

Laurent and Simone Gbagbo, who have two daughters, married in
1989 and campaigned alongside each other for the introduction of
multi-party elections in the 1990s.

The 76-year-old ex-president, has been in a relationship for
several years with 47-year-old former journalist Nady Bamba.
(AFP)

Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo filed for divorce
on Monday from his wife of three decades, his lawyer said, days
after his highly anticipated return to the country.

Gbagbo’s lawyer Claude Mentenon said in a statement that after
years of “rejected requests for Simone Ehivet to consent to an
amicable separation”, the ex-president had asked an Abidjan court
for a divorce.

The announcement comes four days after Gbagbo returned to Ivory
Coast following a decade’s absence, during which he was tried for
crimes against humanity during the post-election conflict of
2010-11.

Simone Gbagbo wielded significant political influence as first
lady, and was arrested alongside her husband in April 2011 after he
refused to concede defeat, sparking a conflict that left some 3,000
people dead.

Gbagbo was sent to the International Criminal Court in The
Hague, where he was definitively acquitted in March after a lengthy
trial.

Simone Gbagbo was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in Ivory
Coast for “violating state security”, but was released in 2018
after seven years of detention as part of an amnesty.

Gbagbo’s homecoming comes after his once-bitter rival, current
President Alassane Ouattara, embraced his return in the name of
national reconciliation.

Laurent and Simone Gbagbo, who have two daughters, married in
1989 and campaigned alongside each other for the introduction of
multi-party elections in the 1990s.

The 76-year-old ex-president, has been in a relationship for
several years with 47-year-old former journalist Nady Bamba.
(AFP)