Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has reportedly filed a lawsuit in a Paris military court accusing the French army of attempting to assassinate him after he was ousted from power in April, following months of civil conflict.

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AP - Ex-Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo has filed a legal case accusing the French army of his attempted assassination following the April operation to oust him, legal sources said Thursday.

France and the United Nations backed the forces of Gbagbo rival and new ruler Alassane Ouattara in the offensive which saw him and his wife Simone placed under house arrest.

The country had by then endured four months of clashes after Gbagbo refused to accept defeat in a November poll.

An investigating magistrate has been appointed since the complaint was lodged at a Paris military court on July 5 by Gbagbo's lawyers, the source said.

France has defended its part in the April 11 raid, stating that its troops and those of the United Nations Operation in Cote D'Ivoire (Onuci) only had a supporting role.

"At no time did French forces enter the presidential gardens or residence" where Gbagbo had taken refuge, general staff spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard has said.

Gbagbo and his wife have been charged with "economic crimes" and President Ouattara wants to see them tried before the International Criminal Court.



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