THE RESIDENCE OF the disputed president of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, has been stormed by troops loyal to Alassane Ouattara, Reuters is reporting.
Yesterday Gbagbo denied he is seeking to surrender.
A spokesperson for Ouattara forces told Reuters:
Yes they (Ouattara forces) are in the process of entering the residence to seize Gbagbo, they have not taken him yet, but they are in the process, they are in the building.
It has been reported that he is in a bunker, negotiating his exit from the stricken country. But yesterday he resisted pressure from the United Nations and France to sign a document renouncing his claim to power.
Reuters reports that Gbagbo is said to be on the verge of handing power over to Alassane Ouattara, who was elected president by the country’s citizens in November 2010.
On Monday, UN troops opened fire on Gbagbo’s forces following reports of attacks on peacekeepers and civilians.
However Gbagbo has denied reports that he is to surrender.
On an interview with French Radio RFI yesterday Gbagbo said:
We are not at the negotiating stage. And my departure from where? To go where?
He told French television channel LCI that his army had just called for a ceasefire:
I’m not a kamikaze. I love life. My voice is not the voice of a martyr.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said yesterday that the only thing left to discuss with Gbagbo was his departure.
More than 1,500 people have been killed in the recent violence in the Ivory Coast.
Last night, four million people remained indoors following days of heavy fighting, the BBC said.
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