Abidjan, Ivory Coast–Fighters allied with Ivory Coast's internationally recognized president said Monday they are trying to seize control of a district loyal to the incumbent leader who refuses to cede power.
Moustapha Bakayoko, a resident of Abidjan's Yopougon neighborhood, said heavy fighting started early Monday near the home of the army chief loyal to entrenched leader Laurent Gbagbo. Bakayoko, 50, a taxi driver, said the shooting started around 6 AM and prevented him from leaving his house.
Officials could not provide information on deaths or injuries.
Monday's attack is the first inside an Abidjan neighborhood that voted for Gbagbo. It shows that the fighters, who call themselves "invisible commandos" and claim allegiance to internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara, are moving south–in the direction of Gbagbo's presidential palace.
A fighter who said he belonged to the group claimed responsibility on their behalf, but asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. The man said the fighters also previously took control of a northern section of the commercial capital, keeping Gbagbo supporters out of an area populated by Ouattara supporters.
The election standoff has degenerated into bloody street battles and Ivory Coast stands on the brink of civil war, with the pro-Gbagbo army accused of gunning down hundreds of civilians who voted for Ouattara.
Months of diplomacy have failed to persuade Gbagbo to yield power, and in recent weeks Ouattara's backers have launched military operations in Ivory Coast's far West, seizing four towns there.
The two men have been locked in a standoff since both claimed victory in a November poll in which the UN certified Ouattara as the winner. The African Union last week handed a resounding victory to Ouattara in a decision reaffirming him as the legal president saying the country's highest court must swear him in.
