Political tensions rise in Ivory Coast as Gbagbo's top allies arrested

Three top allies of Ivory Coast's former president, Laurent Gbagbo, have been arrested in less than a week, raising political tension in the West African nation, where the nation's army has been hit by weeks of attacks.

Laurent Akoun, general secretary of the Front Populaire Ivoirien, Ivory Coast's former ruling party, was arrested on Sunday in Adzope, 100 kilometers east of Abidjan, the nation's economic capital and most populous city, party officials said.

Akoun was arrested for having defamed President Alassane Ouattara during a recent meeting with some of the party's members and supporters in an Abidjan cafe, said Sylvain Miaka Oureto, the party's leader. He also is accused of harming state security because of what he said during the meeting, Oureto said.