ICRC visits detained Ivorian leader Gbagbo

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 22 (UPI) -- Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo spoke privately to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the aid group said.

Gbagbo was apprehended with the help of French peacekeepers in April. The arrest helped put an end to a political stalemate that erupted in November and pushed the West African nation to the brink of civil war.

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

Gbagbo refused to surrender power despite international recognition that Alassane Ouattara won the November election.

The ICRC said it visited detained Ivorian leaders, including Gbagbo, this week.

"With the agreement of the Ivorian government, the visits were conducted in accordance with the ICRC's customary working procedures," said Dominique Liengme, the head of the ICRC delegation in Abidjan, in a statement.

At least 220 civilians were killed by pro-Gbagbo forces and Liberian mercenaries while fleeing to Liberia after the former president's arrest.

Ouattara has called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the post-election crisis. Rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in separate reports had said both sides likely committed atrocities during the conflict.