Defiant Gbagbo holding out as orders are issued not to kill him

Forces loyal to Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara yesterday launched a major attack on the bunker where Laurent Gbagbo is holed up, but appeared to have been repelled.

Fighting raged for a third straight day in the economic capital Abidjan as Mr Ouattara's forces tried to unseat Gbagbo, who has refused to cede power after losing the November presidential election, according to UN-certified results.

A source, who lives near Gbagbo's heavily defended residence, said fighting had died down in the afternoon and Mr Ouattara's forces had regrouped.

"As I understand it, they tried to take Gbagbo residence this morning. The assault failed," said the source. "They could not break through from all the heavy weapons still hidden around Gbagbo's residence. They pulled back to rethink and replan."

A spokeswoman for Mr Ouattara denied his forces had retreated though he could not provide details about the ongoing assault. But Mr Ouattara's forces were ordered not to kill Gbagbo. "Alassane Ouattara has given formal instructions that Gbagbo is to be kept alive because we want to bring him to justice," spokesman Patrick Achi said.

Residents had earlier reported gunfire from heavy weapons around the residence, which is guarded by youth militias and Gbagbo's presidential guard.

"The fighting is terrible here, the explosions are so heavy my building is shaking," resident Alfred Kouassi said. "We can hear automatic gunfire and also the thud of heavy weapons. There's shooting all over the place. Cars are speeding in all directions and so are the fighters."

He could see French tanks in the street but did not know whether they were taking part.

• Analysis: UN's Ivory Coast action shows its commitment to protecting civilians

The French military said their troops were not involved in the attack, unlike earlier in the week when French and UN helicopter air strikes backed the rebels' advance into Abidjan.

The fighting resumed early yesterday after negotiations led by the UN and France to secure Gbagbo's departure failed, the French foreign minister Alain Juppe said.

"The negotiations which were carried out for hours yesterday between the entourage of Laurent Gbagbo and Ivorian authorities have failed because of Gbagbo's intransigence," Mr Juppe told parliament in Paris.

He had earlier said Gbagbo had "no future" and that it was "absurd" for him to hang on.

The former colonial power in Ivory Coast, France has taken a leading role in talks to persuade Gbagbo to hand over to Mr Ouattara and end a four-month standoff over the contested election.

Despite the fighting, desperate civilians in the north of the city ventured outside to hunt for water and food. "We haven't slept, we haven't eaten, we've had nothing to drink. We are all going to die," said 17-year-old Mariam.

Gbagbo has ruled Ivory Coast since 2000. Negotiations to persuade him to quit stalled after he resisted international pressure to sign a document renouncing his claim to power. "If Gbagbo has refused to sign the documents presented to him yesterday, it is because they proposed something that had no legal and judicial basis," Gbagbo's spokesman Ahoua Don Mello said.

A defiant Gbagbo, who does not recognise Mr Ouattara's poll victory had earlier denied reports he was ready to surrender.

"We are not at the negotiating stage. And my departure from where? To go where?" Gbagbo told French radio.

Gbagbo had told a French TV channel his army had only called for a ceasefire after its weaponry was destroyed by the French and UN air strikes on Monday.

"I'm not a kamikaze. I love life. My voice is not the voice of a martyr, no, no, no, I'm not looking for death. It's not my aim to die," Gbagbo, said by telephone.

"For peace to return to Ivory Coast, I and Ouattara, the two of us have to talk," he added.

ESCAPE ROUTES

South Africa, Togo and Angola are possible safe havens for Ivory Coast's besieged Laurent Gbagbo should he negotiate an exit from his West African country, African Union sources have said.

"South Africa has offered several times before and Togo is now indicating to us that it could be willing to take him in," a senior AU official said.

"Togo is not a great option, though, as there will obviously be fears that he could cause problems and spoil peace from there - it's so close to Ivory Coast. I'm betting strongly on South Africa," said the official,.

Another diplomat said Angola was a strong possibility.