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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast's president says he will return home Sunday after a month in France for surgery for sciatica, a form of nerve pain.
Alassane Ouattara made the announcement Thursday from the West African country's embassy in Paris, saying the procedure went "very well" and noting that he was "using a cane, but not for long." The appearance was broadcast on state television.
Ouattara, 72, came to power in 2011 after months of fighting that resulted when former President Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat in the 2010 election. More than 3,000 people died before he was finally inaugurated in May 2011.
His health has been the source of regular speculation since then.
Sciatica is pain relating to the sciatic nerve, which extends from the lower back to the legs.
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