The International Criminal Court has unsealed an arrest warrant for Charles Ble Goude, an alleged organizer of the 2010-2011 post-election violence in Ivory Coast.
The ICC accuses Ble Goude of coordinating attacks against civilians believed to oppose then-Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.
It says Ble Goude, who led Gbagbo's Young Patriots movement, had the power to control militias that attacked specific ethnic or religious communities in Abidjan and in western Ivory Coast.
The warrant says he also helped recruit and arm thousands of volunteers for the militias, which operated in concert with the army.
More than 3,000 people died in Ivory Coast after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat in the 2010 election, setting off six months of unrest.
Former president Gbagbo has been in ICC custody since November 2011 and faces charges of crimes against humanity.
Ble Goude is currently in custody in Ivory Coast, where he was charged with war crimes and murder in January.
Last month, the Ivorian government said it would not transfer former first lady Simone Gbagbo to the ICC, where she faces charges of crimes against humanity. The government said Simone Gbagbo would instead be tried in an Ivorian court.
The ICC accuses Ble Goude of coordinating attacks against civilians believed to oppose then-Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo.
Charles Ble Goude
Charles Ble Goude- ICC warrant issued December 21, 2011, unsealed September 30, 2013
- Accused of four counts of crimes against humanity following Ivory Coast's disputed 2010 election
- Accused as an indirect co-perpetrator of murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution, and other inhumane acts
- The ICC has issued warrants for two other people in relation to the Ivory Coast situation
The warrant says he also helped recruit and arm thousands of volunteers for the militias, which operated in concert with the army.
More than 3,000 people died in Ivory Coast after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat in the 2010 election, setting off six months of unrest.
Former president Gbagbo has been in ICC custody since November 2011 and faces charges of crimes against humanity.
Ble Goude is currently in custody in Ivory Coast, where he was charged with war crimes and murder in January.
Last month, the Ivorian government said it would not transfer former first lady Simone Gbagbo to the ICC, where she faces charges of crimes against humanity. The government said Simone Gbagbo would instead be tried in an Ivorian court.
