Gendarme shot and killed as tensions mount ahead of Ivory Coast presidential election

As tension continues to mount in Ivory Coast ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, a gendarme has been shot and killed while on patrol in the south of the country.

His assailants have not been identified but the region is a traditional opposition stronghold and has been the site of recent protests after the two leading opposition candidates, Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, were barred from standing in the upcoming election.

All protests have now been outlawed by the government of President Alassane Ouattara, as he runs for a fourth term. The 83-year-old now faces four remaining opposition candidates: Simone Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello, Jean-Louis Billon, and Henriette Lagou.

Their rallies have not been affected by the ban on protests.

Since taking office in 2011, Ouattara has invested in major infrastructure projects across the country, but inequality and the cost of living have soared. Ouattara’s opponents also accuse him of being too close to the country’s former colonial rulers, France.