This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, August 23, 2020 - President Alassane Ouattara's bid for a third term in office has sparked violence in Ivory Coast, resulting in the deaths of at least two people.
According to a hospital source and local residents, the violence broke out in several major cities, including the southern cocoa growing hub of Divo, after Ouattara accepted his party's nomination for the October poll.
One person who was evacuated to the regional hospital in Divo succumbed to their injuries and died on Sunday morning, while several others were badly wounded with machetes, a hospital source revealed.
Local residents also reported seeing the body of a teenager killed in a fire in a local bar.
President Ouattara was officially anointed as candidate by his ruling RHDP party, despite having already served two terms since 2010, the maximum permitted under the constitution.
His decision to run for a third term has been met with opposition, with six people already killed in violence following his August 6 announcement.
President Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional tweak has reset the clock on the two-term limit, allowing him to run again.
However, opposition leaders, including former president Laurent Gbagbo and former rebel leader Guillaume Soro, have been barred from running in the October poll.
