Two senior members of the African Peoples’ Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), founded by former President Laurent Gbagbo, have been taken into custody following unrest in Yopougon, one of Abidjan’s most populous districts.
The party insists on their innocence and demands their immediate release.
The detained officials, Moïse Lida Kouassi, who served as Minister of Defense from 2000 to 2002, and former ambassador Boubacar Koné, were reportedly summoned to police headquarters on Friday, August 8, before being held.
Justin Koné Katinan, president of the PPA-CI’s strategic and political council, revealed that authorities accuse the two men of acting as instigators during disturbances on August 1, 2025.
The party firmly rejects these allegations, asserting that neither Kouassi nor Koné had any involvement in the events.
The PPA-CI decries what it calls baseless accusations amid a fraught political environment where tensions simmer between opposition forces and the government, despite public appeals for dialogue and calm.
This incident unfolds against the backdrop of a deeply polarized political climate in Ivory Coast, with sensitive elections looming.
The detention of prominent opposition figures has sparked intense debate about freedom of expression, political accountability, and the role of security forces in preserving order.
Observers note that every politically charged episode adds fuel to existing divisions, making the nation’s path to peaceful elections increasingly precarious. The situation underscores the fragile balance between maintaining public security and safeguarding democratic freedoms in Ivory Coast’s evolving political landscape.
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