Ukraine in Arabic | Burkina ex-president Blaise Compaore in exile in Morocco
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ The deposed president of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaore has reportedly left Côte d’Ivoire. A source close to the Ivorian presidential office is quoted as saying Compaore and members of his family departed on Thursday afternoon and were bound for Morocco
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Burkina Faso when Compaore, who originally seized power in a 1987 coup, tried to change the constitution through parliament to extend his 27-year grip on the West African state.
He fled to neighboring Ivory Coast, where he was welcomed by President Alassane Ouattara, a close ally, and lodged in a state villa in the capital Yamoussoukro.
"Yes, he has decided to change locations. He has left for Morocco. He will always be welcome in Ivory Coast. Our doors are always open," Ivorian government spokesman Bruno Kone told, without giving further details.
Burkina Faso's military briefly took power after Compaore stepped down. A civilian interim president, Michel Kafando, was appointed this week to guide the country on the southern fringes of the Sahara desert to an election due next year.
Campaore’s arrival in Ivory Coast — facilitated by the French military — had triggered anger for some because the 2002 coup attempt effectively divided the country in two, with rebels controlling the northern part bordering Burkina Faso and the south under the government’s control.
French sources alleged that hundreds of Ivorian rebels were trained in Burkina Faso and that Compaore gave financial backing to Ouattara.
Gbagbo’s decade-long rule of Ivory Coast ended in ignominy after he refused to accept defeat in an election in November 2010.
About 3,000 people were killed in clashes between his supporters and factions loyal to Ouattara, who was proclaimed winner of the election.
Gbagbo was arrested in April 2011 by pro-Ouattara forces and is due to go on trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity in July next year.
Soldiers in Ivory Coast launched protests across the country this week over a pay dispute, and stormed a TV station to broadcast a message of defiance.
They returned to their barracks on Wednesday after the government promised measures aimed at meeting the soldiers’ demands, but the protests sparked concerns about a return to unstable times in the world’s largest cocoa exporter.
