Alassane Ouattara is sworn in as Ivory Coast’s president at the presidential palace in Abidjan.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: An international delegation of mediators visited Ivory Coast this week to encourage reconciliation
- NEW: A military operation was launched earlier this week to eliminate resistance to Ouattara
- Alassane Ouattara has been sworn in as president of Ivory Coast
- The country experienced a lengthy post-election crisis that claimed hundreds of lives
(CNN) — Alassane Ouattara was sworn in Friday as president of Ivory Coast, ending a months-long political standoff.
Ouattara was sworn in by Paul Yao Ndre, the head of the country’s Constitutional Council. A number of members of the government, diplomats, representatives of the armed forces, and civil society leaders, among others, were also present during the ceremony in Abidjan.
The council recently declared Ouattara the winner of the hotly disputed presidential election, ending a lengthy post-electoral crisis that claimed hundreds of lives and paralyzed the country’s economy.
Ouattara follows former President Laurent Gbagbo, whose unwillingness to hand over power after the election resulted in a wave of violence.
A military operation was launched Monday by pro-Ouattara forces to crush the last pocket of resistance remaining after pro-Gbagbo militias turned down a call from Ouattara to disarm or face force.
The new violence erupted after a delegation of mediators led by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan completed a two-day visit to Ivory Coast intended to encourage reconciliation and healing. Annan was joined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland.
Gbagbo remains under house arrest in the country’s north.
Journalist Eric Agnero contributed to this report
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