Ivory Coast: the new political ambitions of Charles Blé Goudé

On Saturday, Charles Blé Goudé made a remarkable comeback in Côte d'Ivoire. Does the former minister of Gbagbo, acquitted by the ICC, have political ambitions?

This Saturday, Charles Blé Goudé returned to Côte d'Ivoire, five months after the triumphant return of Laurent Gbagbo. It has been several years since Laurent Gbagbo's former youth minister had not seen his country again. He had been arrested eight years ago. After a long stint in The Hague, where he was prosecuted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity perpetrated in 2011, he was eventually acquitted along with his then president last March. But he was slow to find his supporters in Yopougon.

Supporters of the Young Patriots, his former political movement, relatives or simply the curious gathered to celebrate the return of the former minister. If Laurent Gbagbo had been slow to return to Côte d'Ivoire, Blé Goudé took even longer. And he gave Côte d'Ivoire time to digest Gbagbo's return and follow the series of Gbagbo-Ouattara reconciliation, which allows him today to come back as a hero, alone.

The REIT and its welcoming committee

But in the mysteries of politics, we know that Blé Goudé and his former fellow prisoner Laurent Gbagbo are scrambled. However, Blé Goudé was able to count on the presence of Pascal Affi N'Guessan, president of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), and Simone Gbagbo, Laurent's former wife.

Simone Gbagbo launched the ex-minister's welcome speech: “You arrived at a time when the country needed all the youth to rise up to claim the Ivorian nation. You will do your part, which will not be in the palavers. Let those who are afraid of palaver calm down. Nor will your part be in useless claims. We have a nation to build,” she said.

When ex-president Gbagbo entered Ivorian soil, he was unclear about his political ambitions. Blé Goudé, he has put his feet in the dish: his reception by important personalities shows that he should play a role in the months to come. He also took the floor, too: “My grandfather told me: 'It is during the dry season that the tree counts the leaves that have remained faithful to it'. We have gone through more than a dry season, but the comrades of Cojep, the support movements and you too have remained faithful”, he affirmed.

Thanks for Alassane Ouattara

A loyalty that he would like to transform into a vote in a future election? If Blé Goudé claims to have "dreamed of this moment from (his) prison cell", he said nothing about his new political ambitions. Only a statement to Alassane Ouattara made an impression. “I recognize here, in front of all of you, the fact that from start to finish, my return file was followed by the President of Côte d'Ivoire. I would like to say thank you for that, ”assured Blé Goudé.

Blé Goudé assures him: he returns with a spirit of reconciliation. “My role is not to revolt you because this country has been hurt. The people were traumatized. The people that you are need a speech that reassures you. What you expect from me are not just mobilization speeches. Is that one day, each of you can have a job, feed your family. I have a heavy responsibility. My duty is to support this peace process,” said the former minister.

The only certainty today: Charles Blé Goudé will go back to politics, but without Laurent Gbagbo. He has indeed decided not to join the party of the one who was nevertheless his mentor, Laurent Gbagbo. And given the events of Saturday, there is no doubt that the FPI will try to recover a Blé Goudé who has made an impressive demonstration of popularity.