WORLD
Ivory Coast’s ex-president buried 10 months after death
Ceremonies had to be prepared at the PDCI headquarters and the presidential palace
PEPRESSOU (AFP) — Ivory Coast’s former president Henri Konan Bedie (HKB) was laid to rest Saturday in his native village 10 months after his death.
Delegations representing ethnic groups from all over the country traveled to the eastern village of Pepressou to pay last respects to Bedie, who was commonly known by his initials HKB.
Since Monday, thousands of mourners have flocked to Pepressou which usually has a population of several hundred.
Bedie succeeded Ivory Coast’s post-colonial founding father, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, as president from 1993 to 1999 — when he was overthrown by the military in the country’s first-ever coup.
While still president of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), the country’s oldest party, Bedie passed away on 1 August 2023.
Organizing the funeral has taken time due to the process of choosing a date and organizing details of the funeral among his family and the chiefs of his Baule ethnic group.
His status as a former president also prolonged the process as ceremonies had to be prepared at the PDCI headquarters and the presidential palace in Abidjan where a tribute was paid to him on 24 May.