UN evacuates its staff as gunfire echoes in Ivory Coast streets

The United Nations mission in Ivory Coast began evacuating about 200 employees last night after repeated attacks on its headquarters, as fighters loyal to the internationally recognised president prepared for a battle to oust the incumbent leader.

Sporadic gunfire rang out in central Abidjan yesterday, and people for the most stayed indoors. Residents of the commercial capital have been restricted to their homes since forces supporting Alassane Ouattara began their assault of Abidjan on Thursday.

Electricity has been cut intermittently and the water was shut off citywide yesterday morning, though a few women could be seen on the street filling basins with water from the lagoon.

A UN employee said that he and colleagues awoke Saturday to be told that they were leaving. They were taken by helicopter from the UN base downtown to the airport. Another helicopter will take them from there to the northern city of Bouake.

On Saturday, incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, in a desperate bid to maintain politicial power, called on his supporters to go out into the streets to form a human shield around the presidential palace.

Boatloads of youth were ferried into the centre of town and have been coursing the streets carrying rudimentary weapons such as planks of wood and metal bars.

Mr Ouattara's camp reports that the vast majority of the military has defected to his side, leaving only a small contingent of fighters to defend Mr Gbagbo.

Thousands of pro-Ouattara troops amassed on the city's northern edge last night.

The UN reported that elite Republican Guard forces have repeatedly attacked its convoys and patrols. On Saturday, four peacekeepers were seriously injured after they were fired upon in the centre of the capital. The UN previously reported having returned fire on the Republican Guard and injured five of it soldiers. Pro-Gbagbo forces first attacked its headquarters on Thursday.

One UN employee was killed by a stray bullet last week.

The UN evacuation order is for all "essential employees". Non-essential workers were already evacuated several months ago. Some 10,000 UN military personnel remain in Ivory Coast.

Meanwhile, the Abidjan airport was taken over by French and UN soldiers, a French military spokesman said.

Several French cargo planes arrived yesterday morning with 300 soldiers to reinforce the mission, said Commander Frederic Daguillon of the French Force Licorne, which is now 1,500 strong.

French soldiers are in Ivory Coast under the same UN mandate as the peacekeeping force and its primary mission is the protection of civilians.More than 1,650 foreigners have sought refuge at the French base, half of whom are French, Daguillon said.

Mr Ouattara was declared the winner of last November's presidential election by the country's election commission and numerous international observers. Mr Gbagbo refused to recognized the results and has clung to power for four months, despite international financial sanctions. Forces allied with Mr Ouattara launched a military offensive last week and advanced rapidly across the country, meeting almost no resistance.

They reached the edges of Abidjan last Thursday, but have not been able to take key targets like the main army base, the state television station, the presidential residence or the presidential palace.