Washington, April 12 (IANS) US President Barack Obama has welcomed the "decisive turn of events" in Cote d'Ivoire, as former president Laurent Gbagbo was detained Monday following a four-months long power struggle in the west African country.

"The United States welcomes the decisive turn of events in Cote d'Ivoire, as former president Laurent Gbagbo's illegitimate claim to power has finally come to an end," Xinhua Tuesday quoted Obama as saying in a statement.

He described Gbagbo's detention as "a victory for the democratic will of the Ivorian people, who have suffered for far too long through the instability that followed their election."

For Gbagbo's rival Alassane Ouattara, who is widely recognised as the winner in the Nov. 28 presidential runoff, Obama said: "For President Ouattara and the people of Cote d'Ivoire, the hard work of reconciliation and rebuilding must begin now."

"President Ouattara will need to govern on behalf of all the people of Cote d'Ivoire, including those who did not vote for him. "

Gbagbo and his wife were detained Monday in a French-led military assault at his residence in the commercial capital Abidjan, with witnessed a military offensive launched in late March by forces loyal to Ouattara to force Gbagbo out.

Obama also called for all militia groups in Cote d'Ivoire to lay down their weapons, and said that "the victims and survivors of violence deserve accountability for the violence and crimes that have been committed against them".