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Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara launched his campaign for a fourth term on Saturday as the country experienced heightened political tensions, with security forces detaining more than 200 people in Abidjan during opposition protests.
Authorities had banned the demonstrations in the capital, citing the need to “maintain public order.”
No opposition leaders were present at the marches, but various groups took to the streets in several districts to call for democracy and oppose Ouattara’s candidacy.
Security forces repeatedly used tear gas to disperse the crowds, and by midday, Interior Minister Vagondo Diomande confirmed that 237 people had been arrested for participating in an unauthorised protest.
Journalists covering the events were reportedly assaulted, with some equipment seized and images deleted.
One demonstrator told AFP, “I came to demonstrate this morning because I’m tired of this country. His time has come; he (Ouattara) just has to leave.”
Opposition figures described the arrests as arbitrary and a threat to national stability.
Simon Doho, parliamentary head of Tidjane Thiam’s Democratic Party of the Ivory Coast (PDCI), said, “What we want for our country is democracy, freedom of expression, to vote, the participation of all candidates, and transparent elections.”
Sebastien Djedje, executive secretary of Laurent Gbagbo’s African People’s Party, Ivory Coast (PPA-CI), criticised the government for imposing “peace by weapons.”
Despite unrest in Abidjan, Ouattara’s campaign launch in Daloa, some 300 kilometres northwest, drew a festive crowd at the regional stadium.
Addressing supporters, the 83-year-old president said, “I love this Ivory Coast that unites women and men from different communities.”
Heavy rain failed to dampen spirits, with RHDP party spokesperson Mamadou Toure urging voters to back “stability, peace, and continuity.”
Ouattara faces four candidates in the October 25 election, though the legality of his fourth term has been challenged.
Among them, former allies of Gbagbo, including his ex-wife Simone Ehivet Gbagbo and former minister Ahoua Don Mello, launched their campaigns on Saturday.
Henriette Lagou, a 2015 candidate, plans to meet supporters on Monday in Daoukro, while former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon, who split from Thiam’s opposition party over leadership disputes, held his first rally on Friday in Abidjan.
