ICC issues arrest warrant for Ivorian ex-minister

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Ivorian ex-minister Charles Ble Goude over allegations of crimes against humanity.

The Hague on Tuesday made public the arrest warrant for Ble Goude, for alleged crimes during the violence that erupted following disputed elections in Ivory Coast in 2010.

Nearly 3,000 were killed in the crisis after former President Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat.

The arrest warrant, originally issued in December 2011, describes Ble Goude as a member of Gbagbo’s “inner circle.”

Ble Goude, who was nominated as minister for sports and youth in 2010, is accused of leading militias in violent attacks against civilians who backed Gbagbo’s opponent, Ivory Coast’s current President Alassane Outtara.

The ICC said the 40-year-old, currently detained in Ivory Coast, is suspected of murder, rape, persecution and other inhuman acts committed between December 2010 and April 2011.

Ble Goude spent more than 18 months in hiding following the violence, before he was arrested in January 2013 in Ghana. He was then extradited to Ivory Coast, where he also faces war crimes charges.

The 67-year old Gbagbo was arrested in 2011 and is awaiting trial at The Hague on four charges of crimes against humanity in connection to the post-election violence.

The former president’s wife, Simone Gbagbo, has also been indicted by the ICC but Ivory Coast has decided to dismiss the warrant and try her at home.