Fmr. Ivorian rebel leader Soro seeks refuge in Ghana over arrest warrant

A former rebel leader of Ivory Coast Guillaume Soro on Monday diverted his private flight to Ghana to avoid arrest in his home country.

Ivory Coast has issued an arrest warrant for Soro, a candidate in next year’s presidential election, a public prosecutor said in a report.

Soro was due to return home after months of staying abroad, but upon intelligence that an arrest warrant has been issued on him he had to divert his flight to neighboring Ghana.

His wife and some close associates have been arrested by Ivorian authorities.

Public prosecutor Richard Adou has told state broadcaster the arrest warrant was issued for breaches of state security, receiving stolen public resources and money laundering.

The police had to fire tear gas on Monday, according to Reuters, to disperse more than 100 supporters who had gathered outside Soro’s headquarters in the commercial capital, Abidjan.

About 3,000 people died in a brief civil war in Ivory Coast that followed the victory of President Alassane Ouattara in a 2010 election. Ouattara won re-election in 2015 but has given mixed signals about whether he will seek a third term, adding to uncertainty about the vote in Francophone West Africa’s largest economy.

“The elements in the possession of the intelligence services, including an audio recording, establishing clearly that the project was to be implemented shortly, the prosecutor of the republic ordered the detention and arrest of the accused,” Adou said.

DailyMailGh.com understands Soro had returned to Europe after his brief refuge in Ghana.

Source: Daily Mail GH