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Ivory Coast opposition leader Guillaume Soro signaled he’ll return to the West African nation to take part in presidential elections scheduled for October.

Soro, a 47-year-old former rebel leader, has been traveling in Europe since mid-2019 and was scheduled to return home in December, but abandoned those plans when the authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on charges including endangering state security. Soro has denied wrongdoing and says the accusations were fabricated by President Alassane Ouattara.

“I will be a candidate in my country’s election,” Soro told reporters Tuesday in Paris.

Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer.

To contact the reporter on this story: Leanne de Bassompierre in Abidjan at ldebassompie@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andre Janse van Vuuren at ajansevanvuu@bloomberg.net, Paul Richardson

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