Tension continues to build in Ivory Coast ahead of Saturday’s presidential election following the killing of a gendarme on patrol in the country’s south.
Authorities have yet to identify the attackers, but the area is known as an opposition stronghold and has recently witnessed unrest after leading opposition figures Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam were disqualified from the race.
President Alassane Ouattara’s government has banned all protests as the 83-year-old leader seeks a fourth term against four remaining challengers, Simone Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello, Jean-Louis Billon, and Henriette Lagou.
While Ouattara’s administration boasts of infrastructure achievements since 2011, critics accuse him of worsening inequality and maintaining close ties with France.