Alassane Ouattara calls for peace in Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast's internationally recognised president Alassane Ouattara has called for peace after his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, was arrested with the help of French forces.

Ouattara, who won a November presidential election according to UN-certified results, can finally begin asserting his authority over the country after Gbagbo was captured on Monday, ending more than four months of stand-off that descended into all-out conflict.

Gbagbo, who had refused to step down after ten years in power, was arrested after French forces in the former colony closed in on the bunker where he had been holed up for the past week, and placed under the control of Ouattara's forces.
That leaves Ouattara as the sole leader in charge of the country, although many analysts say it may not be enough to end the fighting that has bloodied the world's top cocoa grower over the past few weeks.
"I call on my fellow countrymen to abstain from all forms of reprisal and violence," Ouattara said in a speech calling for "a new era of hope."

"Our country has turned a painful page in its history," he said, urging marauding youth militias to lay down their weapons and promising to restore security to the battered nation.
Ouattara said Gbagbo, his wife and aides who have been detained will face justice, also promising a South African-styled Truth and Reconciliation Commission to shed light on all crimes and human rights abuses.

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