Ivory Coast asks for ICC probe

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, May 19 (UPI) -- Ivorian military and political leaders are reminded that serious crimes committed during the country's political impasse won't go unpunished, a tribunal said.

The International Criminal Court in a statement said it examined allegations of serious crimes committed since a November presidential election in Ivory Coast. The court said it has "repeatedly" warned Ivorian political and military leaders that "serious crimes" won't go unpunished.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in a letter to the court called on the ICC to make sure that those with the greatest responsibility were brought to justice, CNN adds.

Ouattara has called on the ICC to conduct its own investigation into alleged crimes committed since the November poll. The international community recognized Ouattara as the winner of the contest though incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down until his April detention in the commercial capital of Abidjan.

Ivory Coast teetered on the brink of civil war during the political crisis. Human Rights Watch in a letter to the Ivorian president said there is no time to waste in seeking justice for atrocities that the group said could amount to crimes against humanity.

The United Nations estimates at least 2,000 people were killed during the Ivorian crisis.