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Ivory Coast crisis: 'Deadly shelling' in Abidjan
Shells have been fired at a district of Abidjan opposed to disputed Ivory Coast President  Laurent Gbagbo,... President of Ivory Coast since 2000. Gbagbo lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and Laurent has refused to leave despite the international community's hemming, hawing, and broad hints... with reports of at least 25 dead. Two shells landed in a market in the Abobo area, residents said. The UN said they were fired by Mr Gbagbo's troops Some 370,000 people have fled recent clashes in Abidjan - many from Abobo, which backs Alassane Ouattara, Mr Gbagbo's presidential rival. Gbagbo loyalists have been accused of atrocities against his rivals' backers. Mr Ouattara is widely recognised as the winner of last year's elections. A UN spokesman said a team that went to Abobo "could see that the armed forces of President Laurent Gbagbo fired at least six missiles on the market and surrounds". Hamadane Toure said the shells killed 25 to 30 people and had injured between 40 and 60, AFP reports. He said the UN expressed its "indignation in the face of such atrocities against innocent civilians" and vowed that the "perpetrators will not go unpunished". Posted by: lotp 2011-03-18 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=318454 |