The Ivorian political scene was taken by surprise by his death, which occurred on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, only seven days after that of President Henri Konan Bédié. However, a few weeks before, General Ouassénan Koné was discussing hot topics, such as that of former President Laurent Gbagbo.
In an interview with Fraternité Matin, the former Minister of Security expressed his opinions about Laurent Gbagbo’s political journey, highlighting what he considered to be his biggest mistake. “You know, President Gbagbo, during the time of President Houphouët, did not want to join the government. I think that was a mistake because everything is learned in life,” he stated.
According to the late PDCI vice-president, Laurent Gbagbo was offered government positions three times during Félix Houphouët-Boigny’s presidency, but he always refused, fearing corruption.
According to Ouassenan, Gbagbo missed out on a valuable opportunity to learn and develop his political skills within the executive due to this refusal. In Ouassenan’s view, Gbagbo’s entry into the government could have provided him with a variety of opportunities and perspectives, allowing him to better understand the intricacies of Ivorian politics.
Furthermore, he emphasized that everything can be learned in life and that Gbagbo could have grasped aspects of politics he might not have thought of by participating in the Council of Ministers. According to General Koné, this experience could have had a significant impact on Gbagbo’s political journey and might have eventually helped him avoid the events that led to his departure from power in 2010.
“Whether you like it or not, when you enter the Council of Ministers’ room, you learn things you’ve never thought of. If he had accepted, maybe everything that happened to him wouldn’t have happened to him,” he concluded.
