His last known address was France. But now questions are being asked about the whereabouts of Guillaume Soro, the former head of the Ivorian parliament, who is being sought by prosecutors on treason charges.

The former rebel chief had come under pressure from Paris to leave, after he called for an uprising in Ivory Cast, following the controversial re-election of President Alassane Ouattara.

French media on Saturday reported that Soro's assistants did not answer questions about the whereabouts of their boss when it contacted them.

Ivorian authorities are reported to requested France to arrest and hand over Soro.

Estranged allies

Soro and president Ouattara were allies but fell out over the former's desire to run for president.

A Christian from the north of the country, Soro headed rebels fighting against then-president Laurent Gbagbo in the country's civil war in 2002.

Soro's support was crucial to Ouattara, whom he then served as prime minister in 2011-2012.