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Journalism of Courage
Ivory Coasts internationally recognised president,Alassane Ouattara,called for peace after his rival was arrested late Monday.
Ouattara,who won a November presidential election according to UN-certified results,can begin asserting his authority over the country after his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo was captured on Monday. Gbagbo,who had refused to step down after 10 years in power,was arrested after French forces closed in on the bunker where he had been holed up for the past week,and placed under the control of Ouattaras forces.
I call on my fellow countrymen to abstain from all forms of reprisal and violence, Ouattara said in a speech on his TCI television late Monday. 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 are safe and will face justice. Meanwhile,the French government said it will scale back its military force in Ivory Coast and give 580 million in aid to restore public services and boost the economy.
