Ex-Ivory Coast President Henri Bedie is Dead

Category: Africa News

Former Ivory Coast President Henri Konan Bedie, part of an old guard of politicians who dominated politics in the West African nation for a generation, has died aged 89, a close relative told Reuters on Tuesday.

Bedie served as Ivory Coast’s second ever president after independence from France in 1960. He ruled from 1993 until an economic slump and allegations of corruption led to his ouster in a military coup in 1999.

He was long remembered – and in some parts reviled – for his role in promoting the issue of “ivoirite”, or Ivorian identity, which fueled tensions between those who considered themselves natives in the south and east, and the many foreign workers from neighbouring countries long settled in the country’s north.

Bedie remained in politics until the end. At 86, he ran a losing race against longtime political rival President Alassane Ouattara in elections in 2020.

The cause of Bedie’s death was not immediately known. His spokesman could not be reached for comment.