Alassane Ouattara sworn in as president of Ivory Coast:

Alassane Ouattara's swearing-in

Alassane Ouattara has been sworn in as Ivory Coast's president by the man who earlier denied him of victory in November's presidential election.

In December, the leader of the Constitutional Council, Paul Yao N'Dre, ratified Laurent Gbagbo as the winner, leading to a four-month stand-off.

Mr Gbagbo has reportedly been questioned for the first time about rights abuses while he was in power.

However, his French lawyers have been blocked from attending.

They were refused entry to Ivory Coast at Abidjan's airport and reportedly put on the next flight back to Paris.

A UN team is investigating the site of an alleged mass grave in the Yopougon district of Abidjan.

A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says it has received reports of human rights abuses by both sides in the area, which was taken by pro-Ouattara forces earlier this week - the last pro-Gbagbo holdout in the country's main city.

Meanwhile, the EU has signed a deal worth 44m euros ($64m; £39m) in aid for the country.

The European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, who signed the deal in Ivory Coast, said speed was of the essence.

"We are told that there is a vast field that is used to play soccer. It is now an open-air cemetery”

He told that the situation remained complex and that if people's lives did not improve rapidly, fighting might be resumed.

He said Ivorians felt they had lost 25 years of development potential because of the recent political and ethnic clashes.

Some 3,000 people are believed to have been killed during the unrest in the world's largest cocoa producer, previously one of West Africa's richest countries.

The Reuters news agency reports that cocoa-bean exports are to resume on Saturday, more than three months after they were halted because of the unrest.
'Possessed by the devil'

Mr Ouattara took his oath of office at the presidential palace in Abidjan in front of Gbagbo ally Paul Yao N'Dre.

Traditional chiefs, diplomats and leading politicians were at the venue, which just a few weeks ago was being bombarded by UN and French helicopters seeking to destroy Mr Gbagbo's tanks and rocket launchers.

UN peacekeepers stood guard and French soldiers were patrolling the streets around the palace during the ceremony.

As the proceedings started, there were ironic cheers when Mr N'Dre said everyone was to blame and had been possessed by the devil, our correspondent says.

In December, the electoral commission said Mr Ouattara had won but Mr N'Dre annulled thousands of votes cast in favour of Mr Ouattara in rebel-held areas of the north, where Mr Gbagbo had alleged fraud.

The UN, which helped organise the elections, says it found no evidence of widespread fraud.

"It's the start of a new era of reconciliation and unity between all the daughters and all the sons of our dear Ivory Coast," Mr Ouattara was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency in a brief speech after taking the oath of office.

He added that people's democratic voice had finally been heard and the Constitutional Council's decision now brought it into line with the UN, African Union and West African regional body, Ecowas.

Our correspondent say the swearing-in will put Mr Ouattara's presidency on a sure legal footing after months of violent disputes over who won the election.

Friday's swearing-in is to be followed by a ceremony attended by heads of state planned for 21 May in the capital, Yamoussoukro.

Mr Gbagbo was questioned by state prosecutors in the northern town of Korhogo, where he is under house arrest, AFP reports.

But one of his lawyers, Jacques Verges, told AFP that the deportation of himself and his colleague Marcel Ceccaldi showed that the authorities did not want the former president to receive a proper defence.

"I am very pessimistic about the future of a regime which treats lawyers in such a way," he said.

Mr Verges is nicknamed "the Devil's advocate" after a colourful career, in which he has defended Saddam Hussein, Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Carlos the Jackal. He says he has also represented former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.

He has also previously worked for Mr Ouattara.

Mr Gbagbo was arrested on 11 April by pro-Ouattara forces in the presidential residence in Abidjan.

His wife, Simone, is to be questioned on Saturday by an attorney in Odienne, in the north-west, where she is being held.

UN spokesman Hamadoun Toure told the Associated Press that they were investigating reports that up to 40 people had been killed and buried in a football field in Yopougon.

"We are told that there is a vast field that is used to play soccer. It is now an open-air cemetery," he said.

African Union reinstates Ivory Coast

The African Union has lifted the suspension it imposed on Ivory Coast after the nation's former leader refused to cede power following the presidential election last year.

During a meeting of its peace and security council Thursday, the body said it has lifted all sanctions in light of President Alassane Ouattara's assumption of power.

"The democratically-elected president ... now assumes state power, marking the end of the post-election crisis," the African Union said.

The West African nation recently ended a political stalemate, which started in December following former President Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to step down after he lost elections.

Escalated violence and fears of war forced nearly 1 million residents to flee the main city of Abidjan, aid groups said. The standoff left hundreds dead.

African Union officials urged the president to help promote national reconciliation and boost socio-economic recovery.

The African Union is made up of more than 50 countries in the continent.

Ouattara urges Ivory Coast calm

Ivory Coast's UN-recognised President, Alassane Ouattara, has urged restraint after the dramatic capture of his rival Laurent Gbagbo.

He promised Mr Gbagbo a fair trial and said a truth and reconciliation commission would be set up.

Mr Gbagbo, who surrendered after an assault on his Abidjan residence, said he hoped normal life could resume soon.

He had provoked a crisis by refusing to cede power, insisting he had won November's presidential election.

But forces loyal to Mr Ouattara advanced on his residence on Monday, while French tanks backing the UN peacekeeping mission in the country stood by.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the detention of Mr Gbagbo, saying it had brought to an end months of unnecessary conflict, and the UN would support the new government.

US President Barack Obama also welcomed his capture, and called on armed groups in Ivory Coast to lay down their arms to boost the chances of a democratic future.

He added that victims and survivors of violence in the country deserved accountability for the crimes committed against them.
'New era'
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

I hope that we stop the fighting and get into the civilian part of the crisis, and that we end it quickly so the country can go back to normal”

End Quote Laurent Gbagbo Former president

Speaking on his TV channel, a sombre Mr Ouattara appealed to Ivorians to "abstain from all reprisals and violence".

"After more than four months of post-electoral crisis, marked by so many human lives lost, we are finally at the dawn of a new era of hope," he said.

Mr Gbagbo, his wife Simone and his "collaborators" would be investigated by the judicial authorities, Mr Ouattara promised. The personal security of Mr Gbagbo and his family would be guaranteed, he added.

The country had just turned a painful page in its history but better times were on the way, the new president declared.

There have been allegations of atrocities by both pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces. The UN has reports of more than 1,000 people being killed and at least 100,000 fleeing the country.

Mr Ouattara called for violence to end and promised investigations into any abuses.

"I call on all my compatriots who are moved by feelings of vengeance to abstain from all reprisals and violence.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
image of Andrew Harding Andrew Harding BBC News, Ivory Coast

"The head of the snake has been cut off," said one soldier loyal to elected President Alassane Ouattara. "Gbagbo's militia will simply vanish now. The war is over."

"It's great," said another man. "We are just so happy, and so relieved. The war is finished now."

Is it? Much, I suspect, will depend on how Mr Ouattara handles the next few days, and what signals he sends regarding the treatment of both Mr Gbagbo and his armed supporters.

Troops now consolidating their hold on Abidjan will need to act forcefully to ensure there is not a rash of reprisal killings.

* Harding on Africa: Relief for now

"I express my wish to put in place a commission of truth and reconciliation which will shed light on all the massacres, the crimes and other human rights violations."

And he made a direct appeal to all those who took up arms against their countrymen as the presidential dispute dragged on.

"To all those young people who've turned into militia men: they must understand that their fight has no meaning today. I therefore ask them to lay down their arms."

UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy confirmed that Mr Gbagbo and his wife were under UN police guard at Abidjan's Golf Hotel, where Mr Ouattara has his headquarters.

Mr Gbagbo has been shown on pro-Ouattara TV sitting in a room, looking dazed but apparently uninjured, wearing an open shirt and white vest.

The TV channel broadcast a message from the deposed leader in which he called for an end to hostilities.

"I hope that we stop the fighting and get into the civilian part of the crisis, and that we end it quickly so the country can go back to normal," he said.
Escalating conflict

Forces loyal to Mr Ouattara launched an offensive from their stronghold in the north at the end of March, after months of political deadlock.
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Pictures show Laurent Gbagbo after he was detained

As they closed in on Mr Gbagbo's power base in Abidjan, the country's main city, UN and French attack helicopters targeted heavy weapons being used by his forces.

Mr Ban said UN and French forces had acted strictly within the framework of a UN resolution aimed at protecting the civilian population.

He said he wanted to speak to "President Alassane Ouattara" as soon as possible.

"This is an end of a chapter that should never have been," he added. "We have to help them to restore stability, rule of law, and address all humanitarian and security issues."

Mr Le Roy told reporters after addressing the UN Security Council that the chief of Mr Gbagbo's forces had called the UN to say that he wanted to surrender weapons.

Ivory Coast strongman Gbagbo captured

Laurent Gbagbo, the self-declared president of Ivory Coast, was arrested Monday, potentially ending a civil war that has claimed hundreds of lives in the cocoa-producing West African nation.

After days of holding out, his compound was stormed by troops on Monday, according to Ivorian, French and United Nations sources.

Gbagbo "is well and alive and will be brought to justice," said the country's ambassador to the United Nations, Youssoufou Bamba.

Gbagbo's refusal to accept that he lost a presidential election to Alassane Ouattara last year plunged the country into civil war.

He was arrested "to stop these killings, this fighting," Bamba said, adding that he thinks the fighting will stop as news of Gbagbo's capture spreads.

Gbagbo was taken to the Golf Hotel, the headquarters of both Ouattara and the United Nations, U.N. spokesman Hamadoun Toure said.

His wife and other members of his entourage are with him, according to a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the events.

Authorities are trying to move carefully and follow legal procedures to being him to trial, said the source, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The arrest is a "step in the right direction to return Ivory Coast to normality," the source said, adding that the city of Abidjan is a wreck, with "death squads, militias roaming (and) burning bodies on the streets, which is posing a major humanitarian challenge."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Gbagbo's capture "sends a strong signal to dictators and tyrants. ... They may not disregard the voice of their own people."

"There will be consequences for those who cling to power," Clinton warned in a brief appearance.

It was not immediately clear who captured him.

Bamba and the French Embassy in Ivory Coast said Gbagbo was seized by forces loyal to Ouattara, the man recognized by the international community as the rightful president.

But a Gbagbo adviser, Ahoua Don Mello, said earlier that the French military had stormed Gbagbo's residence.

"The French army is there right now," he said.

Col. Thierry Burkhard, a French Ministry of Defense spokesman in Paris, said no French troops entered the presidential palace.

The U.S. source says the French were in a supporting role, not in an active assault.

United Nations forces were not involved in the raid on Gbagbo's residence, said Toure, the spokesman for the U.N. mission there.

He had earlier said the mission did not extend to extracting the former president from his stronghold.

But United Nations and French troops have pounded Gbagbo's forces, citing their mission to protect civilians in the country.

The fighting left Abidjan with sporadic power and sanitation, and residents said dead bodies were left on the streets.

At least tens of thousands of people have fled into neighboring Liberia to escape the fighting, according to Oxfam, the international aid organization.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that 800 people had been shot dead in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue during the conflict. A U.N. official put the death toll at 330 in the incident.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week predicted that the outcome of the crisis in Ivory Coast would set the tone for other nations in Africa.

"What happens in Cote d'Ivoire has huge implications for the continent that will have 16 presidential elections this year," he said, using the French name for the country.

U.N. forces pound Gbagbo loyalist camps

U.N. military helicopters pounded heavy weapons on positions of fighters loyal to self-declared Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo.

U.N. Special Representative Young-Jin Choi said pro-Gbagbo forces were shelling the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, where the country's internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara is staying, and "today they began to shell our quarters" -- the section of the hotel in which the U.N. forces are headquartered -- as well. "So we decided we cannot pass this moment without action," Choi said.

Together with the French military, U.N. forces targeted key positions. Choi said there were "several camps" belonging to the Gbagbo loyalists. "We are taking them out."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he ordered the military operation "to prevent the use of heavy weapons which threaten the civilian population of Abidjan and our peacekeepers."

The U.N. mission does not extend to extracting Gbagbo from his residence, Choi said. It would be up to pro-Ouattara forces to oust Gbagbo, he said.

Chaos continues in Ivory Coast.

Ban renewed his call for Gbagbo "to step aside immediately."

"Civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence," the secretary-general said. "The fighting must stop. Mr. Gbagbo needs to step aside immediately."

Gbagbo's forces had attacked the Golf Hotel Saturday as well. U.N. forces fired back at the time, said Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast. "We stand ready to protect the Golf Hotel, as we have a mandate," he told CNN.

Toure added that Gbagbo loyalists continue to control three main areas -- the presidential palace, Gbagbo's residence and the state television station, RTI. He said the French military and U.N. forces are in charge of the Abidjan port.

Violence erupted after Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election in November and escalated into all-out war when Ouattara's forces launched an offensive that brought them into Abidjan.

As Gbagbo has refused to cede power, the political stalemate has plunged the West African nation into crisis.

The U.N. human rights office said Friday that its investigators found more than 100 bodies over 24 hours in three Côte d'Ivoire towns.

Gbagbo's forces used a lull in fighting last week as a "trick" to reinforce their positions around the Abidjan, according to Alain Le Roy, the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations.

They said Tuesday they wanted a peaceful solution to the monthslong fighting, but soon resumed shelling both the U.N. headquarters and the civilian population, Le Roy told reporters at the United Nations.

Since then, they have regained control of two central areas of Abidjan and fighting is continuing, Le Roy said Friday, after briefing the U.N. Security Council on developments in the cocoa-producing nation.

"They have clearly used the lull of Tuesday as a trick to reinforce their position," he said.

Mark Toner, acting deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, released a statement Saturday echoing that idea.

"It is clear that Gbagbo's attempts at negotiation this week were nothing more than a ruse to regroup and rearm. Gbagbo's continued attempt to force a result that he could not obtain at the ballot box reveals his callous disregard for the welfare of the Ivoirian people, who will again suffer amid renewed heavy fighting in Abidjan," he said.

Most areas of the capital, however, are now under U.N. or French military control, journalist Seyi Rhodes reported from the French military base in Port Bouet. The French military has been working to reconnect the disrupted water and electricity supply in what is the country's main city.

Gbagbo troops hit Ouattara hotel HQ

A hotel used by the internationally recognised president of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara has come under attack by forces loyal to his rival Laurent Gbagbo, reports say.

Witnesses and a UN official say the Golf Hotel in Abidjan had come under mortar and small-arms fire, and the UK embassy has been evacuated.

Alassane Ouattara was judged to have won the presidential election, but Mr Gbagbo has refused to step down.

He has been surrounded in his residence for days by pro-Ouattara troops.

Reports suggested Saturday's fighting flared at around 1700 GMT.

"The FDS [pro-Gbagbo Defence and Security Forces] are attacking us and we are trying to push them back," one fighter with the pro-Ouattara forces told the AFP news agency.

"The firing is very very close. Snipers fired bursts from Kalashnikovs. The pro-Gbagbos are attacking us on all fronts," a hotel resident added.

AFP also reported that UN peacekeepers - tasked by the Security Council with protecting civilians in Ivory Coast - had fired back.

"The Golf Hotel was attacked with mortars," UN spokesman Hamadoun Toure said, adding that the attack had come from south of Abidjan's lagoon, away from the presidential residence.

"In conformity with our mandate to protect the Golf Hotel where President Ouattara and his team are, the peacekeepers responded by targeting the origin of the firing coming from the other side of the lagoon. We intentionally avoided the residence of President Gbagbo."

The decision to abandon the British embassy compound was taken after bullets hit the building and a mortar round landed in the garden.

The embassy is near the residence of Laurent Gbagbo.

Heavy weapons

Mr Ouattara's forces have swept down from the north of Ivory Coast over the past two weeks but much of Abidjan is dominated by Gbagbo supporters. Days of fighting have plunged the city into crisis.

The BBC's Mark Doyle, in Abidjan, says an estimated one million people have been made homeless by the recent fighting, and there are growing concerns for public health.

"The situation is tragic in certain neighbourhoods" of Abidjan, Carlos Geha, of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) told AFP.

"It is not medicine or material aid that is missing but the means to get them to those who need them."

It had appeared several days ago that Mr Gbagbo was on the verge of defeat but the upscale Plateau and Cocody areas of Abidjan are now fully in the control of his forces.

UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said late on Friday that Mr Gbagbo's followers had in fact made strong gains, having used a pause for negotiations as an opportunity to regroup.

Earlier this week Mr Ouattara's troops were reported to have isolated Mr Gbagbo in an underground bunker, but a pause in the fighting appears to have given his forces new resolve.

"They clearly used the lull of Tuesday as a trick to reinforce their position," Mr Le Roy said, referring to a dip in the fighting after three of Mr Gbagbo's generals requested talks.

Mr Le Roy said that there was evidence that his forces were still using weapons including tanks, M-21 rocket launchers, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and armoured personnel carriers.

Heavy weapons fire from Mr Gbagbo's forces targeted the French ambassador's residence in the city on Friday, the French embassy said, although this was denied by Mr Gbagbo's supporters.

On Saturday the remaining British presence in Abidjan left the city. A skeleton staff of two diplomats and 16 local staff were evacuated in a convoy of UN armoured vehicles.

The decision to evacuate was taken after bullets started coming in through the window and mortars landed in the garden, our correspondent says.

The UN has certified Mr Ouattara as the winner of November's run-off vote for president but Mr Gbagbo has refused to cede power.

Both men have been criticised for the actions of troops loyal to them during the crisis. Most recently Mr Ouattara's forces were criticised by Human Right Watch, which alleged they killed or raped hundreds of people in villages as they advanced on Abidjan.

Gbagbo forces regain ground in Abidjan

Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo have gained ground in Abidjan, the UN says.

UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said Mr Gbagbo's forces, still using heavy weapons, had used a lull for peace talks to strengthen their position.

Mr Ouattara's forces have been battling Laurent Gbagbo, who is bunker in Abidjan, the country's main city.

Mr Le Roy said Mr Gbagbo's troops now fully controlled the upscale Plateau and Cocody areas of Abidjan.

"They clearly used the lull of Tuesday as a trick to reinforce their position," Mr Le Roy said, referring to a dip in the fighting after three of Mr Gbagbo generals requested talks.

He said that there was evidence that his forces were still using weapons including tanks, M-21 rocket launchers, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and armoured personnel carriers.

Earlier, the European Union said it had agreed to ease sanctions imposed against the country.

Alassane Ouattara, the country's internationally recognised president, had appealed for the easing to enable cocoa exports in the world's largest producer of the crop to resume.

Heavy-weapons fire from Mr Gbagbo's forces targeted the French ambassador's residence in the city on Friday, the French embassy said.

A spokesman for Mr Gbagbo said his forces had not attacked the building.

Ahoua Don Mello said he "formally denied" the French embassy's statement that the house had been targeted by two mortars and a rocket from positions held by Gbagbo's forces, AFP reports.

Ports to re-open

Following Mr Ouattara's plea, the EU announced it would lift four sets of sanctions imposed on the world's biggest cocoa producer.

"Under the measures adopted today, the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro, the Ivorian Refining Company and the Coffee and Cocoa Trade Management Committee are removed from the list of entities subject to the EU assets freeze," the EU said in a statement.

The UN has certified Mr Ouattara as the winner of November's run-off vote for president but Mr Gbagbo has refused to cede power.

Mr Ouattara's forces have swept down from the north over the past two weeks but much of the main city of Abidjan is dominated by Gbagbo supporters and days of fighting have plunged it into crisis.

As the military standoff continued in Abidjan, the United Nations said that more than 100 bodies had been found in three locations in the west of the country, the victims of apparent ethnic killings.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described the reports that the team in Ivory Coast was sending back as "utterly horrifying".

UN relief agencies have warned of a looming crisis and called for humanitarian corridors to allow safe passage for thousands of people fleeing the fighting.

In Abidjan, pro-Ouattara forces continue to besiege Mr Gbagbo in his residence.

Mr Ouattara said a blockade had been set up around the perimeter to make the district safe for residents. He said his forces would wait for Mr Gbagbo to run out of food and water.

More than 100 bodies found in Ivory Coast

More than 100 bodies have been found in western Ivory Coast, the United Nations has said, amid the continuing conflict between rivals for the presidency.

The UN said the bodies were the victims of apparent ethnic killings.

Internationally recognised President Alassane Ouattara has been battling incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, who is blockaded in a bunker in Abidjan.

Heavy-weapon fire from pro-Gbagbo forces targeted the French ambassador's residence in Abidjan, the embassy said.

"The residence... was targeted by two mortar rounds and a rocket coming from the positions of FDS [armed forces] members still loyal to Mr Gbagbo," the embassy said in a statement.

The residence is not far from Mr Gbagbo's bunker in the compound of the presidential palace.

Meanwhile, the EU has lifted sanctions on two ports and the cocoa authority.

After a plea by Mr Ouattara, the EU lifted four sets of sanctions in all - on the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro, the Ivorian Refining Company and the Coffee and Cocoa Trade Management Committee.

The UN has certified Mr Ouattara as the winner of November's run-off vote for president but Mr Gbagbo has refused to cede power.

Mr Ouattara's forces have swept down from the north over the past two weeks but much of the main city of Abidjan is dominated by Gbagbo supporters and days of fighting has plunged it into crisis.

'Liberian mercenaries'

Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said its team had found more than 100 new bodies in three locations in the west.

"All the incidents appear to be ethnically motivated," he said.

The findings on 7 April were:

    * Duekoue: 15 new bodies, bringing the total number of known dead in a 28-29 March incident to 244. Victims mostly or all of Guerre ethnicity, traditional Gbagbo supporters. Some seem to have been burnt alive and some corpses were thrown down a well
    * Blolequin: 40 bodies. Perpetrators said to have been Liberian militias, who spared the Guerre after separating them out from other groups
    * Guiglo: 60 bodies, including a number of West Africans

The reports of mass killings began last week, after Duekoue was captured by pro-Ouattara forces.

Each side has blamed the other for the killings.

Mr Colville told the BBC there were fears more bodies would be found.

He added: "If Mr Gbagbo gives up, it would allow the new administration to try to restore law and order but it is very hard for everyone, including the UN, while this impasse continues."

Mr Colville said of the latest killings that "one has to be a little bit cautious of assigning responsibilities".

The Ouattara camp has previously accused Laurent Gbagbo of recruiting Liberian mercenaries, a claim Mr Gbagbo denies.

But there are reports of both sides using local ethnic militias, which have had a long-standing influence in the west of the country. They were not disarmed after the previous civil war and their overall loyalty is questionable.

'Question of principle'

On Friday, UN relief agencies called for humanitarian corridors which will allow safe passage for thousands of people fleeing the fighting.

In Abidjan, pro-Ouattara forces continue to besiege Mr Gbagbo in his residence.

Mr Ouattara said a blockade had been set up around the perimeter to make the district safe for residents. He said his forces would wait for Mr Gbagbo to run out of food and water.

Advisers to Mr Gbagbo say he is determined not to surrender.

"President Gbagbo will not surrender," said his Paris-based adviser Toussaint Alain.

"It's a question of principle. He is a president elected by his people."

Ouattara wants EU sanctions lifted

Alassane Ouattara, Ivory Coast's internationally recognised President has urged the EU to lift sanctions, in a bid to restart the ailing economy.

Ouattara now controls the main cocoa-exporting port of San Pedro, and wants to restart the trade.

But his troops are still not in control of all of the main city Abidjan, where his rival Laurent Gbagbo remains holed up in the presidential residence.

Aid agencies are warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Abidjan.

Residents of the city are without basic amenities such as running water and power, and food supplies are running low.

Witnesses say bodies are lying on the streets after days of bitter fighting between loyalists of the two presidential claimants.
'Question of principle'

Mr Ouattara, widely recognised as the winner of a presidential election last November, told Ivorian TV he was taking measures to get the economy back up and running.

"I have asked that European Union sanctions on the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro and certain public entities, be lifted," he said.

Ivory Coast is the world's biggest cocoa-producing nation, but uncertainty and violence since the disputed election has badly damaged the industry.

Mr Ouattara said the central bank would begin reopening its branches, and the army would secure delivery of medical supplies to hospitals and food to markets.

He blamed Mr Gbagbo for plunging the country into crisis, but said his forces now had the presidential palace under blockade.

Advisers to Mr Gbagbo, who insists he won the election, say the embattled incumbent is determined not to surrender.

"President Gbagbo will not cede," said his Paris-based adviser Toussaint Alain.

"It's a question of principle. President Gbagbo is not a monarch. He is not a king. He is not an emperor. He is a president elected by his people."

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said Mr Gbagbo had fewer than 1,000 troops left loyal to him.

Divided nation

Mr Ouattara's forces launched a sustained offensive last month, rushing southwards from their northern strongholds.

They rapidly took over most of the country, but much of Abidjan is dominated by Gbagbo supporters, and days of fighting has now plunged the city into crisis.

"There are armed rebel groups who don't know which side they are on looting not only private houses but also some stocks of humanitarian agencies - that is unacceptable," said the UN's Elisabeth Byrs.

Last November's election had been intended to reunite the former French colony, which split in two following a northern rebellion in 2002.

But the result highlighted the divide in the country, with Mr Gbagbo dominating the south and Mr Ouattara winning most of the votes in the north.

As the crisis deepened in the past week, the UN and French forces have joined the battle for Abidjan.

On Monday, they launched air strikes on pro-Gbagbo military bases, after Mr Gbagbo's forces were accused of using heavy weapons to attack civilians and UN peacekeepers.

The UN has repeatedly called for Mr Gbagbo to step down.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court says it will investigate alleged human rights abuses by both sides during the fighting, which has left hundreds dead.

In his TV address, Mr Ouattara promised to punish the perpetrators of violence.

"On behalf of you all I would therefore like to express our recognition to the Republican forces of Cote d'Ivoire for having done their duty," he said.

"I urge them to be exemplary in their conduct and to refrain from any crimes, any violence against the people or any act of looting. All those involved in such deeds will be punished."

French forces rescue Japanese diplomat

French forces rescue Japanese diplomat as fierce battle continues at Gbagbo’s residence. The war between Ivory Coast's political rivals engulfed Japan's diplomatic residence in Abidjan where French forces made a dramatic overnight rescue of the Japan's diplomatic residence ambassador and his staff in Abidjan, the French Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Residents reported heavy fighting into Thursday morning as opposition forces are trying to oust self-declared President Laurent Gbagbo from a basement bunker in his residence, not far from the Japanese embassy.

Gbagbo assailants looted the Japanese ambassador's residence and made their way to the rooftop, from where they attacked a nearby residential area and other embassies including that of France, said Col. Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the French Defense Ministry.

Helicopter-borne French troops fired back at Gbagbo's fighters, Burkhard said. The rescue mission was over in less than an hour.

The fighting, however, between Gbagbo's men and forces loyal to Alassane Outarra, the international recognized president, carried on beyond daylight.

"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."

Forces loyal to Ouattara stormed Gbagbo's home Wednesday, officials from both sides said. Despite reports of negotiations of a surrender, Gbagbo has remained defiant. Adviser Abdon Bayeto told CNN that Gbagbo was in the basement of his residence "conducting business."

A key question over a surrender revolved around where Gbagbo might go if he were to exit Ivory Coast. African Union spokesman Noureddine Mezni said several African nations -- though he did not name any -- are offering the beleaguered leader "safe retreat."

The November presidential election had been expected to help unify the West African nation, rebounding from a 2002 civil war. Instead, the disputed vote sliced the nation in two.

Sporadic post-election violence erupted into all-out war after Ouattara's troops launched an offensive that swept them through the country to the Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city and its commercial center.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Ivory Coast's violence. Humanitarian agencies warn of a worsening toll from the crisis.

A Red Cross-chartered aircraft landed Wednesday in the northern town of Man, carrying nearly 12 tons of supplies for people hit by the warfare.

"The phone calls... they do not stop," said Panglungtshang.

"We have people calling about shrapnel landing on their homes or on their neighbor's home or people that are wounded." he said. "These are civilians. We are hearing from people who have diabetes and cannot get insulin who are close to losing consciousness. It is just desperate. Desperate."

Ivorian forces enter Gbagbo's residence

Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara stormed the residence of Laurent Gbagbo on Wednesday, a Ouattara spokeswoman said, potentially heralding the end of a bloody conflict in the West African country.

The Ouattara forces are inside Gbagbo's residence but have not captured him yet, said Affoussy Bamba from the main city, Abidjan. They discovered heavy weapons inside the residence, she said.

A spokesman for Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello, confirmed the residence was under attack and expressed amazement at the assault.

Gbagbo is prepared to discuss African Union proposals for a handover of power, but cannot talk about surrender before discussions even begin, his spokesman said.

He would not confirm Gbagbo is in the residence that is under attack, but said he was in Abidjan.

"They are trying to get him and to kill him," Mello said.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the cocoa-producing country since Gbagbo rejected the results of an election in November. The United Nations and the African Union have said Ouattara, a former prime minister, defeated Gbagbo, who was running for re-election.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Gbagbo cowardly.

"I can't understand why he is refusing to cede his power against the total will of the international community," Ban said, urging the self-declared president to think about the future and the security of his people.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, who has been closely involved with events in the former French colony, said negotiations with Gbagbo had failed because of his "obstinacy."

Ouattara set the terms for Gbagbo's surrender, Juppe said.

He told parliament in Paris that French forces were not involved in the assault on Gbagbo's residence, rejecting claims by Gbagbo supporters.

A senior American source with knowledge of the situation also said negotiations had failed.

"The opportunity for negotiations with Laurent Gbagbo is over. He has closed the door on negotiations," said the source, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Gbagbo "is an individual that did not accept he lost. That's why we are here today," the source said.

Analysis: Why Ivory Coast matters Video

Ouattara's forces have steadily been closing in on Gbagbo in the past week, amid claims of massacres by both sides.

A Ouattara representative said Gbagbo had left them no alternative but to attack as the assault began on Wednesday.

"Negotiations with Gbagbo have failed," Mamadou Toure said. "Gbagbo decided not to surrender, so Ouattara's forces were left with no other choice. The aim is to get him out of the residence without harming him."

"President Alassane Ouattara will have to decide what happens next," added Toure, who is at the country's embassy in Paris and says he is in direct contact with Ouattara's forces.

Gbagbo "will be brought to justice," a different Ouattara representative told CNN on Wednesday.

Gbagbo seemed to be on the point of surrender Tuesday after four months of conflict between his forces and those of Ouattara, but then he backtracked.

It "seems like he has lost his mind... it means that there is something wrong with this guy," Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi said.

Read more on the GPS blog about the endgame for Ivory Coast

Ouattara's side is appealing directly to Gbagbo's fighters to put down their weapons, Achi said.

"We cannot sit and wait for him to become reasonable" in the face of the "humanitarian catastrophe" facing the main city, Abidjan, Achi said. The city of 5 million people had "no more electricity, no more sanitation and bodies on the street," he said.

Ouattara's forces entered Abidjan on Thursday after an offensive that swept across the country. When they arrived, the sporadic post-election violence that had plagued Abidjan for months escalated into war.

Ivory Coast's ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday he thought Gbagbo "knows everything is over for him."

"His military forces have been defeated. He is alone now," said Youssoufou Bamba.

Bamba said Gbagbo should go on trial "because he has committed so much crime" against civilian and peaceful demonstrators.

But Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who served as the African Union's main negotiator in Ivory Coast, said Ouattara and others should consider allowing safe passage for Gbagbo to Angola, South Africa or another country.

The plight of refugees fleeing Ivory Coast

International leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama have been demanding that Gbagbo step down immediately for the good of the country.

The political chaos and violence have claimed at least hundreds of lives. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported the killings of 800 people last week in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue, in one of the bloodiest incidents.

Juppe said Wednesday that all that remained to discuss was how Gbagbo would leave.

"We have asked the U.N. to guarantee his physical well-being and that of his family, that's an important point, and then to organize the conditions of his departure," Juppe said on French radio. "That's the only thing left to negotiate from now on."

Gbagbo denied in an interview Tuesday that he planned to go down fighting, calling himself a man who "loves life."

"I'm not a kamikaze. ... I don't look for death," he told France's LCI television.

Laurent Gbagbo denies surrender

Laurent Gbagbo has denied reports he is surrendering after troops loyal to his rival surrounded his residence in Abidjan.

Speaking by phone from his bunker, he said his military were only negotiating a truce and insisted he had won November's presidential election.

Troops loyal to the internationally recognised winner, Alassane Ouattara, swept into Abidjan this week.

The city passed a largely quiet night, apart from shootings blamed on gangs.

But its population of four million remained indoors after days of heavy fighting which saw UN and French helicopters attacking Mr Gbagbo's military.

Hitler comparison

Western powers have stepped up pressure on Mr Gbagbo to resign, with US President Barack Obama saying the violence could have been averted if Mr Gbagbo had respected the election result.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Wednesday that Mr Gbagbo's departure was "the only thing left to negotiate".

"This stubbornness is absurd, Gbagbo has no prospects left now, everybody has dropped him," he told France Info radio.

The head of France's armed forces, Admiral Edouard Guillaud, said negotiations between Mr Gbagbo and the UN had continued through the night "but unfortunately I see no breakthrough for now".

"Despite that, I believe it is a matter of hours, possibly during the day," he told Europe 1 radio.

"He is locked in the [presidential] residence and it remains in the possession of his supporters."

Adm Guillaud said military strikes could resume at the request of the UN and if Mr Gbagbo continued to refuse to step down.

Mr Gbagbo told French news channel LCI that his army was "currently discussing the conditions of a ceasefire with the other forces on the ground", but "on the political level no decision has yet been taken".

"I won the election and I'm not negotiating my departure," he said.

"I find it absolutely incredible that the entire world is playing this... game of poker."

His remarks contrasted with a statement from his spokesman, Ahoua Don Mello, who told Reuters news agency there were "direct negotiations based on African Union recommendations which said Alassane Ouattara is president".

Mr Gbagbo accused France, the former colonial power, of making war on his country, saying: "I don't understand how an electoral dispute in Ivory Coast has brought about the direct intervention of the French army."

Mr Gbagbo, who sounded tired but resolute, said he was not preparing to die.

"I'm not a kamikaze," he said.

"I love life. My voice is not the voice of a martyr, no, no, no. I'm not looking for death. It's not my aim to die."

The UN mission says Mr Gbagbo's closest advisers have deserted him and he is in the basement bunker of the presidential residence "with a handful of persons".

Scared city

Piling the psychological pressure on the discredited leader and his allies, the pro-Ouattara television station TCI played extracts from Downfall, the feature film about the final days of Adolf Hitler in his bunker in Berlin.

UN mission spokesman Hamadoun Toure said fighting had stopped in the city but there was "sporadic shooting by groups of youths" not allied to the two rival leaders.

Civilians told the BBC they were very scared. Small groups have been walking out of the city with their hands raised in the air.

As night fell on Tuesday, a resident in the Cocody area described how the day had looked and sounded like to him: "We don't speak to the neighbours, we close the house.

"We don't know what is going on outside. I'm with my brother and little children. I'm playing a board game with my brother and my cousin because that is all we have to do.

"We have to be careful with food because we don't know how long it is going to last. The water is cut off so we don't have enough water, we try to reserve it but I don't know how long it is going to last. We really don't know."

Laurent Gbagbo in surrender talks

UN says three generals loyal to Ivory Coast's besieged President Laurent Gbagbo are negotiating terms for surrender in return for guarantees of safety for him and themselves.

France says negotiators are on the brink of agreeing his departure.

Mr Gbagbo is sheltering with his family in the basement bunker of his residence in the main city, Abidjan.

Troops loyal to Mr Gbagbo's rival, UN-recognised President Alassane Ouattara, say they have surrounded the compound.

UN says Mr Gbagbo's military and civilian advisers are leaving him.

Three of his generals - the head of the armed forces, the head of the police and the head of the republican guard - have opened negotiations, the UN told the BBC's Andrew Harding, who is on the outskirts of Abidjan.

The UN said the generals had instructed their forces to stop fighting and hand in their weapons to the UN.

The Beginning

1. 28 November: Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara
2. compete in election run-off
3. 2 December: Electoral commission announces that Mr Ouattara has won
4. 3 December: Constitutional Council overturns results, declaring Mr
5. Gbagbo the winner; UN recognises Mr Ouattara as the victor
6. 2 February: European Union extends sanctions against Mr Gbagbo
7. 30 March: Pro-Ouattara forces enter the capital, Yamoussoukro, as fighting intensifies
8. 4 April: UN launches air strikes on Mr Gbagbo in the main city, Abidjan
9. 5 April: Three generals negotiate Mr Gbagbo's surrender

War is over

Mr Gbagbo's spokesman, Ahoua Don Mello, told the Reuters news agency there were "direct negotiations based on African Union recommendations which said Alassane Ouattara is president".

"They are also negotiating judicial and security conditions for Gbagbo's camp and his relatives," Mr Don Mello said.

"We are very close to convincing him to leave power," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told the National Assembly in Paris.

However, Mr Gbagbo denied he was ready to surrender. In a telephone interview with the French LCI television channel, he again insisted Mr Ouattara did not win the election in November.

"The army has called for the suspension of hostilities... and it is currently discussing the conditions of a ceasefire with the other forces on the ground, but on a political level, no decision has yet been taken," he told LCI.

The deputy commander of the pro-Ouattara forces, Cisse Sindou, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme: "We won the battle. Gbagbo is with the French. He is negotiating how to leave the country."

Mr Gbagbo had refused to leave office even though the Ivorian election commission declared him the loser of November's run-off vote, and the UN certified the result.

Forces loyal to Mr Ouattara, a former International Monetary Fund economist, began a dramatic military offensive last week, sweeping in from the north and west.

US President Barack Obama has condemned the violence, saying it could have been averted if Mr Gbagbo had respected the election result.

"To end this violence and prevent more bloodshed, former President Gbagbo must stand down immediately," Mr Obama said in a statement.

Our correspondent, Andrew Harding, says news of the surrender talks has been circulating rapidly.

It has not been greeted with excitement but with a weary sense of relief, he says, as people ask why Mr Gbagbo had to put them through so much war and destruction.

Many civilians remain trapped in their homes. Food, water and electricity are scarce in the city of about four million people after days of fighting.

Mr Gbagbo's army chief, Gen Philippe Mangou, told the AFP news agency his troops had stopped fighting.

"Following the bombardment by the French forces on some of our positions and certain strategic points in the city of Abidjan, we have ourselves stopped fighting and have asked the general commanding [Unoci] for a ceasefire," Gen Mangou said.

Gen Mangou deserted last week, but was said to have returned to the Gbagbo fold on Monday after an apparent change of heart.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief Baroness (Valerie) Amos has visited the town of Duekoue, where hundreds of people died after it was taken by pro-Ouattara forces last week.

Each side has blamed the other for the killings, which the International Committee of the Red Cross says claimed at least 800 lives.

Baroness Amos said investigators found at least 200 bodies in a single mass grave, adding that it was not clear who was responsible for the deaths.

On Monday, UN and French helicopters attacked several targets around Mr Gbagbo's compound. The UN said the raids were to stop attacks on civilians.

Patrick Achi, a spokesman for Mr Ouattara, told the BBC earlier that if Mr Gbagbo were captured, he would be arrested and "brought to justice".

French forces take over Abidjan airport

France has sent extra troops to Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, and taken control of its airport.

A French military spokesman told there was a security vacuum as forces formerly loyal to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo changed sides.

Fighting continues between Mr Gbagbo's troops and supporters of his rival, UN-recognised President Alassane Ouattara.

The city's pro-Gbagbo TV station called for people to mobilise against the French '"occupation".

Mr Ouattara's forces are reported to be planning a further advance towards the presidential palace and have imposed a curfew on the city.

UN spokesman Hamadoun Toure told he had heard gunfire near the palace, adding that the situation was very tense.

France has sent an extra 300 soldiers to Ivory Coast, defence ministry spokesman Thierry Burkhard said, taking the total French force to about 1,400.

The airport had been secured by UN troops since Friday, but the French move meant the airport was now able to re-open.

The aim of the reinforcement was "to take control over the airport which was also done in co-ordination with the UN mission, to allow the re-opening of this airport to civilian airlines and military flights", he said.

Mr Burkhard added that the force's mission remained primarily the protection of French nationals, who were being threatened by looters.

"We are currently experiencing in Abidjan a security vacuum because the Ivorian security forces, which until now followed the orders of Mr Gbagbo, answered in great numbers the rallying call made by President Ouattara," he said.

There were no immediate plans to start evacuating foreigners, he said, though about 1,600 were sheltering in a French army camp.

They include about 700 French nationals, some 600 Lebanese citizens and 60 Europeans of assorted nationalities, French media report.
'Lives at stake'

Ivorian state TV, which is controlled by Mr Gbagbo, accused the French troops of preparing a genocide like the one in Rwanda in 1994, when more than 800,000 people were killed.

A strap line on state TV on Sunday read: "[French President Nicolas] Sarkozy's men are preparing a Rwandan genocide in Ivory Coast."

Mr Sarkozy has called a cabinet meeting for Sunday afternoon to discuss the crisis in Ivory Coast.

On Saturday, heavy artillery fire was heard in Abidjan as the two sides fought for key sites including the presidential palace, the headquarters of state TV and the Agban military base.

Four UN soldiers were seriously wounded when special forces supporting Mr Gbagbo fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a UN armoured vehicle.

The west of Ivory Coast has also seen vicious battles between rival militias and ethnic groups. On Saturday, the Caritas aid agency said its staff had found the bodies of hundreds of people in Duekoue, and estimated that 1,000 may have died.

The killings occurred between 27 March and 29 March in the Carrefour district, which was controlled at the time by fighters loyal to Mr Ouattara, spokesman Patrick Nicholson told the Associated Press news agency.

"Caritas does not know who was responsible for the killing, but says a proper investigation must take place to establish the truth," he said.

Most of the 1,000 peacekeepers based in Duekoue had been protecting about 15,000 refugees at a Catholic mission there, Mr Nicholson added.

The International Committee of the Red Cross put the death toll at about 800, while the UN said more than 330 people were killed as Mr Ouattara's forces took over Duekoue, most of them at the hands of his fighters. However, more than 100 of them were killed by Mr Gbagbo's troops, it added.

Sidiki Konate, a spokesman for Mr Ouattara's government, said that while some people had been killed in the fighting between the two sides in recent days, there had been no deliberate killings of Gbagbo supporters.

ICRC staff who visited Duekoue on Thursday and Friday to gather evidence said the scale and brutality of the killings were shocking.

Tens of thousands of women, men and children have fled the fighting.