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BOUAKE, Ivory Coast (AP) - President Laurent Gbagbo on Monday made his first visit to the former rebel stronghold of Bouake since a peace deal five months ago allowed for reunification of the country's north and south.
Gbagbo saluted the Ivorian flag alongside Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who until a few months ago controlled the town as the leader of the rebel-held north. The two set fire to weapons handed over by the rebels in a symbolic act of reconciliation.
"By setting fire to these guns which were the seeds of destruction, we are marking the end of the war," Soro said. Then turning to his former enemy, he told Gbagbo: "Your coming to Bouake means that Ivory Coast has been reunited."
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