By IANS,
United Nations : The situation in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire, remains volatile, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky has said .
“Patrols from the UN Mission in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI) conducted last Friday and Saturday confirmed the use of mortars and heavy machine guns in the city’s Abobo neighbourhood by pro-Gbagbo forces, ” Xinhua quoted Nesirky saying at a daily news briefing Monday.
Elsewhere in the city there have been numerous instances where UN vehicles and staff have been targeted. A UN-marked bus was damaged by stone-throwing demonstrators Sunday, the UN spokesman said Monday.
UNOCI also reported fresh fighting in Duekoue, situated in the West of the West African country, where the Republican Forces of Cote d’Ivoire (FRCI) continue to push east and locals have gathered at UNOCI premises seeking protection.
As many as 1 million people have been driven from their homes in Cote d’Ivoire in the months of turmoil stemming from the outgoing president’s refusal to leave office, with violence mounting and his loyalists using heavy weapons against civilians.
Forces loyal to Gbagbo have attacked civilians and UN peacekeepers, killing more than 460 people and displacing an estimated 500,000, causing them to become internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees in countries like Liberia.