Charles Ble Goude, a close associate of Cote d’Ivoire’s former President Laurent Gbagbo, formally announced his return to politics last week. His homecoming and reentry into politics recalls that of Gbagbo, who returned to the country in June 2021, and is sparking intrigue ahead of the 2025 presidential contest.
In recent years, formerly colonized countries have been advancing a confident and militant movement for reparatory justice, and it has seen results. But the breakthroughs made have been met with a stubborn resistance by the countries responsible for colonization and slavery to avoid framing the issue as reparations.
Forty-six Ivorian soldiers who were detained in Mali since July 2022 returned to Cote d’Ivoire last week after they were pardoned by Mali’s interim military ruler, Col. Assimi Goita. But although resolution of the dispute could present both sides with the opportunity to reset relations, that will likely prove a tall order.
