The rumors are over. The news is finally confirmed. After 32 years of marriage, Laurent Gbagbo wants to separate from his wife.

The former Ivorian president, aged 76, has officially filed for divorce with Simone Ehivet, 72, his wife since 1989, according to a statement signed by one of his lawyers, Claude Menneton. Laurent Gbagbo, called a judge concerning matrimonial affairs, and filed a divorce application with the court in Abidjan, Monday 21 June 2021.

The rumors that have been circulating for months about Laurent Gbagbo's separation from his wife are finally confirmed. People also noticed it when he arrived at the airport. The photos captured show the former Ivorian president pushing his wife aside with a small hand gesture.

Claude Menneton, announced in the statement that Gbagbo had taken the matter to a judge after Simone Ehivet Gbagbo had refused for years to separate amicably. But even when Gbagbo was still in exile in Brussels, he already officially asked Simone for a divorce, but she did not accept.

The text in the statement reports that "the repeated refusal of Dame Simone Ehivet to consent to an amicable separation, which is an appropriate way to settle their mutual personal and political status".

A little backtracking

According to their stories, they were married in January 1989 and had two daughters.

They were great opponents of the first president of Côte d'Ivoire, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, from 1960 to 1993. Both fought for multiparty politics.

Simone was in politics during Gbagbo's presidency from 2000 until 2011. She founded the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) in hiding.

Nicknamed the 'iron lady', she was the first lady who was immersed in politics, and thus a woman of power and influence.

Simone and Gbagbo were arrested in April 2011, just after the post-election crisis. They refused to allow Alassane Ouattara to be elected president.

As a reminder, this crisis resulted in 3,000 deaths. As a result, Simone was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015 but was amnestied in 2018. While Gbagbo spent 10 years in prison in The Hague and was only pardoned last March.

According to customary rites, Laurent Gbagbo married Nadiani Bamba, nicknamed Nady in 2001. She is a former journalist and is currently 47 years old. According to reports, the former Ivorian president returned to Ivory Coast with her. Obviously, he is with Nady.

Santie

Photo Credit : Matin Libre

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