Ivory Coast Troops Kill 7 Women in Gbagbo Protest
VOA News March 03, 2011
Witnesses in Ivory Coast say troops loyal to Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo have killed at least seven women during a protest calling for him to step down.
The attack took place Thursday as a group of women demonstrated in Abobo, a district of the country's largest city, Abidjan. Residents say uniformed troops pulled up to the scene in armored vehicles and opened fire on the crowd.
Supporters of Alassane Ouattara burned tires and furniture in the street to protest the attack. Most residents in Abobo support Ouattara, the U.N.-certified winner of Ivory Coast's presidential election in November. Gbagbo has refused to yield power to Mr. Ouattara despite intense international pressure to do so.
U.N. officials say fighting in Abobo has killed at least 26 people since last week. They say another 200,000 people have fled the district.
Clashes have escalated between pro-Gbagbo troops and Ouattara supporters.
The United Nations says about 70,000 Ivorians have fled into neighboring Liberia and Guinea to escape the turmoil. U.N. officials also warned Thursday of a looming humanitarian crisis.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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