Guillaume Soro
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Guillaume Kigbafori Soro (born 8 May 1972) is an Ivorian politician who was the
Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire This article lists the heads of government of Ivory Coast, officially the Ivory Coast, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, since the country gained independence from France in 1960. The current prime minister is Robert Beugré Mambé since 17 October 2 ...
from April 2007 to March 2012. Prior to his service as Prime Minister, Soro led the
Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...
, and later the New Forces as its
Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
. Oliver Furley and Roy May. ''Ending Africa's Wars: Progressing to Peace'', 2006. Page 71.Christopher L. Salter and Joseph John Hobbs. ''Essentials of World Regional Geography'', 2006. Page 489. In March 2012, Soro became President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire. He stepped down from that position in February 2019, announcing in June 2019 that he is running to succeed President
Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician and economist who has been List of heads of state of Ivory Coast, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, he worked for the I ...
.


Biography

Soro is a Sénoufo from Ferkessédougou (northern Côte d'Ivoire) and is of the Catholic faith. Father of 4 children, he shares his life with Sylvie Tagro. His father was a member of the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire (PDCI).


Ivorian Civil War

Soro led the
Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...
(MPCI) in a September 2002 rebellion against President Laurent Gbagbo that triggered the Ivorian Civil War. In December 2002 Soro's MPCI combined with two other rebel groups, the Ivorian Popular Movement of the Great West (MPIGO) and the Movement for Justice and Peace (MJP), to form the New Forces ('' Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire''). He was appointed Secretary-General of the New Forces. In July 2023, an investigating judge in Paris, France was appointed to investigate the April 2011 assassination of Ibrahima Coulibaly, a former Ivorian rebel leader, in which Guillaume Soro is believed to have been implicated in the assassinatio


Political career

Following a peace agreement in January 2003, Soro was appointed to the government as Minister of Communications. The New Forces ministers began a boycott of cabinet meetings in September 2003, returning in January 2004. After an opposition demonstration held in
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...
in March 2004 was violently broken up, President Gbagbo dismissed Soro and two other ministers from their positions. Soro denounced the dismissals, saying they were effectively a coup by Gbagbo against the peace agreement. On 9 August 2004 Soro was reinstated. On 28 December 2005, Soro was appointed Minister of Reconstruction and Reintegration by
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Charles Konan Banny Charles Konan Banny (11 November 1942 – 10 September 2021)Biography at BCEAO website
. He attended his first cabinet meeting in this capacity on 15 March 2006.


Prime minister

Following a peace deal signed on 4 March 2007, Soro was considered a possible candidate for Prime Minister and received Gbagbo's endorsement. In an interview published on 26 March, Soro said that he would be willing to assume the position. Gbagbo officially appointed him on 29 March, Soro took office on 4 April, and his 32 ministers were named on 7 April, many of whom served under his predecessor. In a speech on 13 April, Soro apologized "to everybody and on behalf of everybody" for the harm caused by the rebellion. On 30 July, Soro and Gbagbo participated in a "peace flame" disarmament ceremony, which involved the burning of weapons to symbolize the end of the conflict."Côte d'Ivoire: Gbagbo en zone rebelle pour prôner la paix et des élections rapides"
, AFP, 30 July 2007 .
The peace agreement barred Soro from standing in the 2010 presidential election, and he told ''
Jeune Afrique ''Jeune Afrique'' (English: ''Young Africa'') is a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, founded in 1960 in Tunis and subsequently published in Paris by Jeune Afrique Media Group. It is the most widely read pan-African magazine. It o ...
'' in a March 2008 interview that he would discuss his political future after the election. It was rumored that Soro and Gbagbo made a secret agreement whereby Soro would support Gbagbo in the election and, in exchange, Gbagbo would back Soro in the subsequent presidential election. Soro dismissed this as "gossip," describing himself as an "arbiter of the electoral process," and further said the New Forces would not back any candidate and that its members could vote for whomever they wished. When the Gbagbo-allied Constitutional Council announced their results of the 2010 poll and Gbagbo was sworn in, Soro resigned as prime minister, supporting opposition candidate
Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician and economist who has been List of heads of state of Ivory Coast, President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, he worked for the I ...
. Ouattara had been declared the winner by the electoral commission, and he reappointed Soro after taking the oath of office at a rival ceremony. Soro was elected to the National Assembly in the December 2011 parliamentary election. After serving as Ouattara's prime minister for over a year, Soro resigned on 8 March 2012. He was then elected as President of the National Assembly on 12 March 2012, a move that ensured that he would remain a key figure on the political scene. There were no other candidates for the post. In 2016
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
issued an international arrest warrant for Soro for his alleged role in the
2015 Burkinabé coup d'état The 2015 Burkina Faso coup attempt was a failed coup d'état launched on 16 September 2015 in Burkina Faso, when members of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP) – a controversial autonomous military unit, formed under Dictator Blaise Co ...
. Standing as the candidate of the ruling coalition, the Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace, in the city of Ferkessédougou, Soro was re-elected to the National Assembly in the December 2016 parliamentary election with 98.7% of the vote. When the National Assembly began meeting for the new parliamentary term, Soro was re-elected as President of the National Assembly on 9 January 2017. He received 230 votes from the 252 deputies present; Evariste Méambly, an independent deputy, received 12 votes, and there were 10 spoilt votes.


Assassination attempt

On 29 June 2007, a
Fokker 100 The Fokker 100 is a regional jet that was produced by Fokker in the Netherlands. The Fokker 100 was based on the Fokker F28 with a fuselage stretched by to seat up to 109 passengers, up from 85. It is powered by two newer Rolls-Royce Tay tur ...
carrying Prime Minister Soro, members of his delegation, and 20 journalists was taxiing on a runway at an airport in Bouaké when it was targeted by
rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...
and Kalashnikov fire. One rocket struck and exploded in the cabin, one missed, and a third bounced off the fuselage and did not detonate. Soro wasn't injured, but four people were killed and ten others wounded. Those who died were Security Chief Drissa Ouattara, the Prime Minister's bodyguard Siaka Diomandé, and ''Protocole d’Etat'' members Sékou Doumbia and Souleymane Sérifou. Arrests were subsequently reported.


2020 Ivorian presidential election

Soro stated that he intended to compete in the Ivorian presidential election on 31 October 2020. On April 29, 2020, Soro was sentenced
in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...
to 20 years in prison on charges of embezzling public funds and
money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
.


References


External links


MPCI Official website


éditions Hachette Littératures (2005). {{DEFAULTSORT:Soro, Guillaume 1971 births Government ministers of Ivory Coast Heads of government of Ivory Coast Ivorian Roman Catholics Living people Patriotic Movement of Côte d'Ivoire politicians Presidents of the National Assembly (Ivory Coast) Ivorian rebels People from Savanes District Ivorian military personnel Ivory Coast politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century Ivorian politicians Ivorian exiles