Gen. Robert Guei, the country's military ruler, was ousted late last year in presidential elections. He was succeeded by Gbagbo. The following months saw two major military uprisings, tumultuous elections and a brutal wave of killings. Persistent rumors have Guei making an attempted comeback. Several weeks ago, Gbagbo accused Guei of recruiting Liberian mercenaries for a possible attempt at destabilizing the civilian government.
Civil unrest continues in Ivory Coast.
Gbagbo's supporters have engaged in political and ethnic fighting with rival opposition leader, Alassane Dramane Ouattara. A Muslim, Ouattara was barred from running for president and later for parliament because of questions about his nationality. He insists that he and his parents are Ivorian. Journalist Luis Ramirez, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.