Ivory Coast Rebels Rapidly Advance
VOA News March 29, 2011
Fighters who back Ivory Coast's internationally-recognized president, Alassane Ouattara, have seized four towns in a fast-moving offensive.
Witnesses and pro-Ouattara officials say the fighters have captured Bondoukou and Abengourou in the east, the west-central town of Daloa and the western town of Duekoue.
The New Forces rebels launched the offensive on Monday, clashing with forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to give up power. Most countries recognize Ouattara as the winner of a presidential election in November.
Meanwhile, the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast has accused pro-Gbagbo forces of opening fire on civilians in the main city of Abidjan Monday, killing 10 of them. There was no immediate comment from the Gbagbo government.
The towns captured by rebels are all located at important crossroads. Daloa sits on the main route to the seaport of San Pedro, which is used to export most of the country's cocoa. Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer.
The disputed November election was meant to reunite Ivory Coast, nearly a decade after a brief civil war left it split into rebel and government-controlled areas.
The electoral commission named Ouattara the winner of the election but Gbagbo claimed victory of the Constitutional Council annulled about 10 percent of the votes.
The United Nations says at least 472 people have been killed since the political crisis began in early December. Efforts by the African Union to find a peaceful solution to the crisis have so far failed.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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