By 
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara and the main opposition leader have on Wednesday promised to press ahead with talks to resolve a severe standoff over the October 31 election outcome that has sparked conflicts.
More than 85 people have been killed so far.
Ouattara met former president and opposition candidate Henri Konan Bedie in the commercial capital Abidjan in a bid to calm tensions over the vote, which handed Ouattara a third term that was challenged by the opposition.
In comments to Reuters journalists, both said the meeting had been an important first step towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis, but did not indicate that either side had made or was prepared to make any concessions.
“We met and decided to make peace in Ivory Coast,” Ouattara said, describing the encounter as an ice-breaker.
Recently the government of Ivory Coast has updated the loss of lives from an ongoing battling between rival political supporters to 85 – including 34 killed before the vote, 20 on elections day and 31 from that point forward.
Opposition party led by Bedie and other political allies have said that progress to end the current dispute will only be possible if the authorities meet certain demands, including dropping criminal charges against other opposition leaders for forming a rival government.
“The ongoing conflict can only be resolved if we as leaders agree on something like dropping charges on opposition leaders for forming a rival government,” said Bedie.
The disagreement started after Ouattara’s decision to seek a third term, which opposition groups say violates a constitutional two-term limit.
In recent weeks, the Tanzanian main opposition leader Freeman Mbowe was also arrested for planning and leading a violent protest in the country after challenging the just ended elections results that claims John Magufuli as the victor.
Comments