Ivory Coast: 5 things to know about General Edouard Tiapé Kassaraté who died yesterday

Man of the hand of former president Laurent Gbagbo, admired in the gendarmerie, the former army general is one of the Ivorian figures of recent years. Patron of this elite corps, he will have opted, with his men, for an impartial position during the post-election crisis. After his testimony at the ICC, he will make a discreet entry into politics.

A brilliant career

Lieutenant-General (4 stars) Kassaraté Tiapé Edouard is one of the most admired senior officers of the Ivorian army, at least at the level of the national gendarmerie. Trained at the famous Military Academy of Saint Cyr in France where he entered in 1977, he is also a graduate in criminal science from the Faculty of Law of Paris and the ENA (National School of Administration) of Abidjan. He has repeatedly followed different formations in France, notably at the War School in Paris, Germany, and an internship at the FBI in Washington.

When Laurent Gbagbo came to power in late 2000, he was appointed military commander of the Presidential Palace. As such, he is at the heart of the regime's security system, which will face an armed rebellion two years later. He will then be appointed superior commander of the gendarmerie, an elite corps in the Ivorian army.

Impartiality

In December 2010, when the post-election crisis erupts, as the head of the gendarmerie, he orders his troops not to intervene, whereas he was considered as one sure pawns of Laurent Gbagbo. This attitude, which will deprive the regime of this body will be worth to be accused of treason. On the other hand, the impartiality of the gendarmerie will be hailed by a part of the public who thought that it helped to shorten the crisis that lasted five months.

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At the end of the crisis, in April 2011 following the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo, he officially lends allegiance to Alassane Ouattara. He will later be named ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire in Senegal.

Testimony at the ICC

In March 2017, he was summoned to the ICC, summoned by the prosecutor's office to testify against the former head of state. While his intervention was eagerly awaited to press Laurent Gbagbo a little more, it is a rather exculpatory testimony that had been served at the Court, Kassaraté having not laid any charges, let alone evidence against him. An appearance that would have attracted the wrath of the power of Abidjan will remind him a few months later of his Dakar post, officially to have reached the age of retirement.

Politics

Back in the country, he makes himself discreet and joins the PDCI where he is then appointed vice-president in charge of defense issues. Far from the media, he will make only very rare public appearances until his death on July 13 following a heart attack.