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New Ivory Coast President Visits Senegal

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara attends a ceremony at the presidential palace in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, May 6, 2011

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Last updated on: May 11, 2011 8:00 PM

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara heads to Senegal on Thursday - his first foreign trip since being sworn in last week.

Ouattara's office is calling the trip a "friendly and working visit."

Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade supported Ouattara during his standoff with former president Laurent Gbagbo.

Gbagbo refused to turn over power after Ouattara was declared the winner of the November presidential election. The standoff triggered four months of violence until Gbagbo's arrest by pro-Ouattara forces on April 11.

Ouattara's trip coincides with three days of national mourning in Ivory Coast for victims of the post-election violence.

The observance runs through Friday for the estimated 3,000 people killed.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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