Henri Konan Bedie
Bedie Former Ivory Coast dies at 89. Former Ivory Coast President Henri Konan Bedie died on Tuesday, aged 89, according to a close cousin. He was part of an old breed of politicians who dominated politics in the West African nation for a generation.
He was president from 1993 until his removal in 1999, and he later waged a losing campaign against his long-time political foe President Alassane Ouattara in 2020 elections at the age of 86.
It is unknown how Bedie died.
His representative was unavailable for comment.
He was long remembered – and in some parts reviled – for his role in promoting the issue of “Ivoirite”, or Ivorian identity.
The issue fuelled tensions between those who considered themselves natives in the south and east, and the many foreign workers from neighbouring countries long settled in the country’s north.