ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast's president said Wednesday that the country's arrested strongman will face charges “on a national level and an international level.” Alassane Ouattara said Laurent Gbagbo has been moved out of the Golf Hotel, where he was taken after his capture on Monday. He said Gbagbo will be kept in a villa and that his rights as a former head of state will be respected. “Gbagbo is in a residence under surveillance somewhere in Ivory Coast,” Ouattara told reporters at the Golf Hotel. He said the justice minister is preparing for possible prosecution of Gbagbo but gave no details. “There will be charges (against Gbagbo) on a national level and an international level,” he said. Ouattara will settle into the presidential palace in the comings days, he said, adding that a swearing-in ceremony will take place at a later date. Gbagbo refused to cede power after losing a November election, leading to a four-month standoff that plunged the West African nation into chaos and killed untold numbers of people. More than 1 million civilians fled their homes amid the fighting, which also disrupted the economy of the cocoa-producing powerhouse. New footage obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday shows pro-Ouattara fighters storming Gbagbo's residence. The footage, shot by a pro-Ouattara fighter Monday during Gbagbo's arrest, showed forces backing Ouattara walking through the front gate carrying firearms. Many are dressed in camouflage and wearing helmets, and some are crouched in shooting position. After orders from a commander, fighters entered the residence, shot at the lock on an orange door and forced themselves inside. The footage shows fighters putting a camouflage flak jacket on Gbagbo. He and his wife are then escorted to a car with a tank sitting nearby. Gbagbo was then handed off to UN peacekeepers and taken to Ouattara's Abidjan headquarters. French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet also said Wednesday that France will reduce its military force in the Ivory Coast from 1,700 to 980 troops as soon as possible.
