Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the arrest of Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to relinquish the presidency, ends months of unnecessary conflict and he pledged U.N. support to the new government.
The U.N. chief told two reporters Monday he wants to speak to Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara as soon as possible.
“This is an end of a chapter that should never have been,” Ban said. “We have to help them to restore stability, rule of law, and address all humanitarian and security issues.”
He said Gbagbo’s “physical safety should be ensured and I’m going to urge that.”
“We need to think about what his future should be,” Ban said, adding that’s up to Ouattara and his government.