In Gagnoa (Ivory Coast), where he celebrated the second anniversary of his return to the country after his acquittal by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Charles Blé Goudé took the opportunity to send a vibrant tribute to the new Senegalese authorities : President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.
During this event held in his native region, located 280 km from Abidjan, Charles Blé Goudé praised the example offered by these two Senegalese political figures. According to him, Ousmane Sonko’s journey constitutes a source of inspiration for all African politicians.
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“The former regime of President Macky Sall thought it would weaken Ousmane Sonko by subjecting him to all kinds of humiliations: house arrest, damage to his vehicle and imprisonment in the company of his brother Bassirou Diomaye Faye. And yet, ten days before the elections, they were released, which allowed Sonko to lead a campaign in all regions of Senegal,” he recalled in comments relayed by L’Obs this Monday.
Continuing his remarks in front of a predominantly young crowd, he added: “Today, Ousmane Sonko is Prime Minister and Bassirou Diomaye Faye is President of the Republic. Who would have thought that the police officers, who came to manhandle the latter in the premises of the General Directorate of Taxes and Domains (DGID), had the future president of Senegal in front of them? »
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Charles Blé Goudé urged his activists to never give in to pressure or give in to difficulties, affirming that “in life, everything is dynamic”. He also expressed his wish to see Côte d’Ivoire draw inspiration from the Senegalese experience: “In Senegal, a few hours after the proclamation of the results of the presidential election of March 24 and the legislative elections of November 17, 2024, the winners were congratulated by the vanquished, and the page was turned. I dream of seeing this in my country. »
To definitively end the Ivorian crises of 2010 and 2015, he invited President Alassane Ouattara to adopt an amnesty law for all people directly or indirectly involved in the electoral unrest, while calling for inclusive elections for turn this dark page in Ivorian history.
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Removed from the electoral lists, just like former President Laurent Gbagbo, Charles Blé Goudé could be excluded from the 2025 presidential election. However, he affirmed his intention to run and encouraged his supporters to actively prepare.
The ceremony, held on the Laurent Gbagbo square in Gagnoa, brought together at noon a crowd of activists from the Pan-African Congress for Justice and Equality of Peoples (COJEP) as well as sympathizers from the diaspora. It ended around 8 p.m., after a series of tributes, including one addressed to the lawyers who had defended him during his seven years of detention at the ICC.
Charles Blé Goudé concluded by calling for a new generation of African leaders capable of guiding the continent towards a future of peace and prosperity.
