2011年4月1日星期五

Ivory Coast battle approaches are crucial stage in key city

After steadfastly refuses, the Presidential Palace despite losing an election four months ago leave - a refusal, the hundreds of dead, international condemnation and sanctions, the financial collapse of what was West of Africa's economic star and a leap back into a civil war - Mr Gbagbo faced the greatest threat to his rule.

Insurgents attacked Mr Gbagbo residence in Abidjan early on Friday, but there were conflicting claims about, was the control of State television.

With enemy troops gave the man of the United Nations, top officials of Alassane Ouattara, the African Union and other international organizations as the winner of the election in November last year recognised abandon him a tight deadline. The head of the African Union, Jean Ping said in a statement on Friday that he regretted Mr Gbagbo rejected the settlement proposals and "hand over power", Mr Outtara urged him immediately.

Apollinaire Yapi, a spokesman for Mr Ouattara, said that fighting between Mr Ouattara troops and Mr Gbagbo held was soldiers to the Presidential Palace, Mr Gbagbo residence and the headquarters of the paramilitary gendarmerie, which has been responsible for many of the attacks on civilians.

"The fighting is sustainable," said Mr Yap, "with all types of weapons," including mortars. He said, it was the whole night on went.

Is "now the question, where is he?" If his residence is defended, can be accepted, he is in, "added Mr Yap."

He said, Mr Ouattara supporters were not surprised that Mr Gbagbo had made not yet, despite the apparent collapse of his forces across the country. "With him which must knife to his throat." He is more afraid of prison as a cause of death. He someone who likes the good life ", said Mr Yap.

Details about the fighting remained uncertain, but urged the Human Rights Office of the United Nations in Geneva, Mr Ouattara restrain his troops for what were described as "unconfirmed reports of very serious human rights violations" by his troops. He also said it had sporadic reports of Pro-Gbagbo forces killed civilians.

French troops in Abidjan, said that it about 500 foreigners, including 150 of their own nationals, a military camp in Ivory Coast, after they were threatened by looters in the main city Abidjan, Reuters reported from Paris. "It is a security vacuum and opened the way for Raider, through the streets," said Thierry Burkhard, a spokesman for the armed forces.

The victims a 30-year-old Swedish woman working for the United Nations was killed by a stray bullet in her home in Abidjan on Thursday night, the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm said Friday.

In the cities in the country, Mr Gbagbo feared security services and soldiers, since four months that violent scourge of civilians in Ouattara supporting neighborhoods were, appeared to surrender with hardly a shot on Thursday, leaving the path wide open for rapid progress all week by forces loyal to Mr Ouattara.

"Today on the outskirts of Abidjan", forces said Mr Ouattara in a televised speech Thursday, attractive for Mr Gbagbo to move pages. "Put you to provide your country", and "again your legal status," he urged, speak in the formal, measured language for which Mr Ouattara, a former Prime Minister and official, is known in the International Monetary Fund.

Mr Ouattara, hotel of Mr Gbagbo blocked for four months in an Abidjan soldiers, due to the rapid change may - Mr Gbagbo increasing vulnerability and his own unexpected rise - the heterogeneous band soldiers referred to he the Republican forces, a mixture of former rebels in an uprising of 2002, which the country split into two leave, and defectors from Mr Gbagbo page.

"they have decided, the restoration of democracy", said Mr Ouattara. "In all the cities that you go through those were young people."

In a few days was critical cities, including the administrative capital of the nation, port of San Pedro, on Mr Ouattara with little battle Yamoussoukro and the most important cocoa-exporting. Resistance said before officials of his Government everything from rented Liberian mercenaries come was.

Already fled Abidjan, who said the United Nations, more than a million people, and on Thursday, residents described the city as tense, quiet and deserted, with periodic bursts of gunshots, explosions and sightings of full of Mr Gbagbo armed militias in circulation downtown pickup trucks. Firing was reported to the State broadcaster, and in the morning, that the the city prison was attacked, and some free 5,000 prisoners.

Mr Gbagbo teen armed supporters, the young patriots, a well-deserved reputation for violence, operated roadblocks and roamed Abidjan.

Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris.


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