Prosecutors in the Ivory Coast said Monday they have formally charged eleven people, including members of an opposition party, with alleged “terrorist” offenses.
Unrest erupted on the night of August 1, with a bus being set on fire and a police car attacked by a horde of hooded individuals. An official investigation into the violence led to the arrest of nine people, several of whom are members of Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party.
The prosecutor stated that the suspects cited Lida Kouassi Moise, a former defense minister, and retired ambassador Kone Boubakar as instigators. Police took both former defense minister Lida Kouassi Moise and retired ambassador Kone Boubakar into custody over the weekend for their alleged roles.
The prosecutor added that the suspects’ goal was to spread terror and unrest following a controversial announcement by the president. The eleven suspects were charged with a range of offenses, including “terrorist acts,” “conspiracy against state authority,” and “participation in an insurrection.”
The charges also included “wilful damage to a vehicle” and “arson of a vehicle belonging to others,” according to the prosecutor’s statement. The PPA-CI opposition party denounced the arrests as “an operation of intimidation and repression” and “judicial and political harassment” on Sunday.
The prosecutor, Oumar Braman Kone, insisted there was no political motive behind the arrests of the eleven individuals. The West African country is facing a tense political climate less than three months before the October presidential election.
This tension is particularly high due to court rulings that have barred several opposition figures from the election, including Laurent Gbagbo. Thousands of opposition supporters peacefully demonstrated in the streets of Yopougon on Saturday against President Ouattara’s fourth-term candidacy.