Gbagbo forces repulse rivals in Abidjan battle

ABIDJAN – Troops loyal to Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo were holding key positions in Abidjan yesterday after repulsing forces of his rival for the presidency in a key battle for control of the country’s economic capital.

Pro-Gbagbo forces held on to strategic military barracks in the northern suburb of Adjame yesterday after the heaviest day of fighting since a disputed November election plunged the country into violence.’We are in control of the camp, we are busy carrying out a sweep of the area, but the fighting was very, very hard,’ a police source said on condition of anonymity.Forces backing internationally recognised president Alassane Ouattara met fierce resistance as they attempted to move south through the city from their powerbase in the northern suburbs in the direction of central Abidjan.’They (the insurgents) were determined, they scaled the walls like commandos, they were numerous,’ he added. Pro-Gbago troops repulsed the attack with heavy weapons and reinforcements from the nearby gendarmerie camp in Agban, the biggest in the country.The two highly strategic camps control access to the administrative centre Plateau, home to the presidential palace.Sporadic machine gun fire was heard in the Adjame area overnight, inhabitants said.However residents terrified by a day of heavy gunfire fled their homes yesterday with bundles balanced on their heads and bags in their arms, an AFP journalist reported. Traffic dropped sharply in the affected suburbs.Violence has escalated in Abidjan in the once booming west African country where at least 400 have been killed since the disputed election, according to the United Nations. – Nampa-AFP

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