Post by sheldon on Apr 7, 2011 19:50:51 GMT -5
Defiant as ever, Laurent Gbagbo remained hunkered down Thursday in the basement of his Abidjan residence as a stern warning came from the United Nations that he should seize his last chance for a graceful exit.
About 200 men guarded the Gbagbo residence in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city. Tension was thick after a night of heavy fighting between Gbagbo's men and forces loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, recognized by the international community as the legitimate winner of last November's elections.
Ouattara, meanwhile, urged citizens to help rebuild the country and restore democracy.
"President Gbagbo needs to step aside," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday in Washington. "He has to cede power. This is his last chance. He has to mind the safety and prosperity of his people."
Gbagbo, however, showed no signs of surrendering. Not far from his residence, assailants looted the Japanese ambassador's residence and made their way to the rooftop, from which they attacked homes and area embassies, including that of France, said Col. Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the French Defense Ministry.
In dramatic fashion, French forces fired back at Gbagbo's fighters and rescued the frightened Japanese ambassador and his staff, Burkhard said. The rescue mission was over in less than an hour.
The fighting, however, between the Gbagbo and Ouattara camps carried on beyond daylight. A week has passed since Ouattara's forces entered Abidjan, and the city was particularly tense Thursday after what was billed as a "final assault" failed to get to Gbagbo.
"We could hear it all night," said Kelnor Panglungtshang, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross. "There were small gunfire and even what sounded like rocket-propelled grenades coming from the residence. It is clear that the area is far from being secure."
In a nationally televised address Thursday evening, Ouattara said, "The stubbornness of the outgoing president brought Abidjan to a humanitarian crisis."
He blamed Gbagbo for people being shut up in their homes for a week, with limited food, water and power. Mercenaries, Ouattara said, "have established a climate of terror and insecurity in the city."
The leader also looked ahead, telling citizens that he has ordered military and police forces to safeguard hospitals, markets and other public places.
There is talk among Refugees of fighting, looting, and burning of homes. The crisis escalates by day and the needs are immense.
About 200 men guarded the Gbagbo residence in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city. Tension was thick after a night of heavy fighting between Gbagbo's men and forces loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, recognized by the international community as the legitimate winner of last November's elections.
Ouattara, meanwhile, urged citizens to help rebuild the country and restore democracy.
"President Gbagbo needs to step aside," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday in Washington. "He has to cede power. This is his last chance. He has to mind the safety and prosperity of his people."
Gbagbo, however, showed no signs of surrendering. Not far from his residence, assailants looted the Japanese ambassador's residence and made their way to the rooftop, from which they attacked homes and area embassies, including that of France, said Col. Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the French Defense Ministry.
In dramatic fashion, French forces fired back at Gbagbo's fighters and rescued the frightened Japanese ambassador and his staff, Burkhard said. The rescue mission was over in less than an hour.
The fighting, however, between the Gbagbo and Ouattara camps carried on beyond daylight. A week has passed since Ouattara's forces entered Abidjan, and the city was particularly tense Thursday after what was billed as a "final assault" failed to get to Gbagbo.
"We could hear it all night," said Kelnor Panglungtshang, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross. "There were small gunfire and even what sounded like rocket-propelled grenades coming from the residence. It is clear that the area is far from being secure."
In a nationally televised address Thursday evening, Ouattara said, "The stubbornness of the outgoing president brought Abidjan to a humanitarian crisis."
He blamed Gbagbo for people being shut up in their homes for a week, with limited food, water and power. Mercenaries, Ouattara said, "have established a climate of terror and insecurity in the city."
The leader also looked ahead, telling citizens that he has ordered military and police forces to safeguard hospitals, markets and other public places.
There is talk among Refugees of fighting, looting, and burning of homes. The crisis escalates by day and the needs are immense.