Ivory Coast suspect Ble Goude in ICC custody

Charles Ble Goude, the former right-hand man of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, has been transferred to the International Criminal Court to face charges of crimes against humanity, the Ivorian government said.

The 42-year-old former youth leader faces four counts of crimes against humanity at the court based in The Hague over post-electoral violence in 2010-11.

The former youth leader for Gbagbo, who is also jailed at The Hague, was arrested in Ghana more than a year ago and extradited to Ivory Coast, but the authorities were hesitant to send him to the war crimes court which issued a warrant for his arrest in September.

The former leader of the “Young Patriots”, once known as Gbagbo’s “Street General”, will join his former boss in ICC detention.

Gbagbo, who was transferred to The Netherlands in late 2011, also faces four counts of crimes against humanity but the court has yet to confirm the charges, pending further investigation.

The Ivorian crisis started with Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat in November 2010 elections, sparking armed clashes that killed more than 3,000 people.

His election rival Alassane Ouattara, now the president, eventually ousted him thanks to international military backing.