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The past is another country

More is emerging about the history of bad blood between the two countries and Luanda’s former fondness for Gbagbo

Luanda appears willing to forget its past strong support for Côte d’Ivoire’s then President, Laurent Gbagbo, and reconcile with his successor, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, but there is much to forgive, say sources in both countries (AC Vol 52 No 20, New leaf). ADO and Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos have old conflicts and some tangled financial interests. For the governing Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), African solidarity was the pretext for supporting Gbagbo against the French-backed challenger and eventual election winner, Ouattara, as it was for many at the top of South Africa’s governing African National Congress. Dos Santos saw Gbagbo as a loyal ally but realpolitik required ditching him....

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Free article preview

The past is another country

More is emerging about the history of bad blood between the two countries and Luanda’s former fondness for Gbagbo

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