Ivory Coast's Former First Lady Gbagbo Released From Prison
Simone Gbagbo arrives at her home after being released from prison on Aug. 8, in Abidjan.
Photographer: Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty Images
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Ivory Coast’s former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, was released from prison after President Alassane Ouattara granted amnesty to her and 300 prisoners for crimes related to the 2010-11 post-election conflict.
Speaking from her home on Wednesday in the economic capital, Abidjan, where hundreds of her supporters gathered to await her release, Gbagbo said she was “ready for the next battle,” without elaborating further. The conflict, which was the deadliest crisis the country has experienced, was triggered by ex-President’s Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to acknowledge that Ouattara had won presidential elections.