Inauguration marks symbolic end to Ivory Coast’s poltical turmoil

(CNN) — Heads of state gathered Saturday in Ivory Coast for the inauguration of President Alassane Ouattara, a ceremony expected to mark a symbolic end to a political standoff that triggered bloody clashes.

World leaders included French President Nicolas Sarkozy, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. About 20 heads of state are expected to attend.

Ouattara has already been sworn in, but an inauguration event will take place Saturday in the capital, Yamoussoukro.

He formally takes the reins after a political standoff ended with the capture of his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to cede power after he lost the election.

In the months after the November vote, spiraling violence between forces royal to both sides left hundreds dead, and cases of enforced disappearances and sexual violence were reported.

Human rights investigators said this month that they have found a total of 10 mass graves near the commercial capital of Abidjan.

Ouattara’s administration faces a huge task of reuniting a divided country following the bloody standoff, rights group said.

In a letter to Ouattara, Human Rights Watch urged the new president to hold perpetrators of past atrocities accountable

The global monitoring group called on the president to address the communal divisions through a truth-telling mechanism, ensure discipline among security forces and establish an independent judiciary.

“President Ouattara will be sworn in as head of a deeply fractured nation still reeling from the horrors of recent months,” said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “He should waste no time in moving (Ivory Coast) out of this dark period through justice that is blind to political affiliation or rank.”

One of his main challenges will be reconciliation among citizens, according to a humanitarian worker in Abidjan.

It will be critical for the new government to avoid reprisals between different ethnic and tribal groups, between political foes and between victims and perpetrators of murder and other atrocities, said Stephen Wallace, director of the international aid organization CARE in Ivory Coast.

CARE has established a “listening center” at a camp for displaced people and hopes to open many more.

It’s a place where traumatized people can go to work through what they saw and what they feel. It’s a good way to prevent acts of vengeance, Wallace said.

Ouattarra has urged the International Criminal Court to investigate “the most serious crimes committed” after the presidential vote.

CNN’s Moni Basu contributed to this report.