Simone Gbagbo

Ivory Coast will dock a former first lady, Simone Gbagbo  on April 25.

She will  be tried for crimes against humanity over  her role in a 2011 crisis in which around 3,000 people were killed, her lawyer said on Friday.

Simone Gbagbo, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, has already been sentenced to 20 years in jail for crimes including disturbing the peace, organising armed gangs and undermining state security .

The charges stem from a brief civil war that broke out when her husband, then-president Laurent Gbagbo, refused to accept his defeat by Alassane Ouattara in a 2010 election. He is now accused of crimes against humanity and awaits trial at the ICC.

Ivory Coast refused to transfer Simone Gbagbo to The Hague to face similar charges, however, arguing that she could receive a fair trial in a domestic court.

The Gbagbo trials have reopened divisions in a nation still recovering from years of political turmoil and conflict. Gbagbo supporters claim the legal action is politically motivated .