Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo jailed

Ivory Coast's former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections, the BBC reported.

Gbagbo, 65, had been charged with undermining state security.

Her husband, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, is awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court.

More than 3,000 people died in the violence that followed the presidential poll after the ex-leader refused to accept defeat to Alassane Ouattara.

She and her husband were arrested in 2011 after troops stormed a bunker where the pair had taken refuge in the main city, Abidjan.

And it was in the same city where Gbagbo - once called the "Iron Lady" - faced trial. She was also accused of disturbing public order and organising armed gangs.

The court "unanimously" condemned her to the jail term, according to AFP. Prosecutors had requested a lighter sentence.

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