ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast's president says that the papal envoy to Ivory Coast was killed in a traffic accident.

Ouattara expressed "deep regret," in a statement read out on state television Saturday evening over the death of Indian archbishop Ambrose Madtha.

Madtha, who assumed his post in 2008, had officiated a service in the northwestern town of Odienne on Saturday and was traveling to the western town of Man when his vehicle collided with another vehicle.

Madtha played a behind-the-scenes role in attempting to broker a resolution between former President Laurent Gbagbo and now-President Alassane Ouattara following the November 2010 election. Gbagbo's refusal to leave office despite losing the vote sparked five months of violence that claimed at least 3,000 lives.