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Journalism of Courage
ABIDJAN (IVORY COAST), DEC 27: Ivory Coast’s ousted president fled the country today in a French aircraft after being toppled in a largely bloodless coup by a former army chief.
President Henri Konan Bedie departed shortly after 1 pm from a French military base near Abidjan’s international airport where he had sought refuge, the French foreign ministry announced.
He arrived later in the afternoon in a French air force Puma helicopter in the nearby city of Lome, Togo, accompanied by about 10 close family members. Dressed in a pale blue suit and looking tired, Bedie embraced Togolese president Gnassingbe Eyadema, who had friendly relations with his government.
A Togolese government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bedie was accepted in the country on "humanitarian grounds", and would likely leave in a few days for a still unannounced destination.
A French foreign ministry official said the government would not stop Bedie from going to France. Under regulations, the official could notbe identified.
Junta leader Gen Robert Guei did not comment on Bedie’s departure at a brief news conference on Sunday afternoon.
Guei had said on Saturday that Bedie was free to leave, but said his cabinet members would have to stay. The junta leader also warned that any delay in Bedie’s departure threatened to "poison" relations with France, radio France-Internationale reported.
France, Ivory Coast’s former colonial ruler, was the main foreign backer of Bedie, whose Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast has governed since independence in 1960.
