She stated that only diplomacy, negotiation and consultation were able to resolve the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis, which had begun in the aftermath of the 2010 presidential election, when both Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara claimed victory. Interviewed in January 2011 by the monthly pan-African magazine "Première Ligne", she condemned the interference of France and the international community in the internal politics of Côte d'Ivoire and described Sarkozy's support for Alassane Ouattara as a "political mistake". Criticising "double standards diplomacy", she said that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) military intervention in Côte d'Ivoire was not legitimate, as it had not intervened in Niger after the coup d'état led by Salou Djibo on 18 February 2010.