Laurent Gbagbo’s rival is thought to have several thousand men Ivorian leader ‘is losing troops’
Laurent Gbagbo’s rival is thought to have several thousand men Besieged Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo has fewer than 1,000 troops left in the main city of Abidjan, French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet says.
He estimates 200 of these fighters are at the presidential residence, where the strongman refuses to stand down.
Mr Gbagbo is encircled by forces loyal to rival Alassane Ouattara, who is thought to have several thousand men.
A BBC correspondent in Abidjan says a fresh attack is expected at any moment on the presidential compound.
A so-called final assault on the building on Wednesday by pro-Ouattara forces was fought off by Gbagbo loyalists.
Heavy weapon and machine-gun fire was heard earlier on Thursday in the city, which was rocked overnight by explosions.
Mr Gbagbo’s top generals have deserted him but his diehard supporters fight on in several districts, says the BBC’s Andrew Harding in Abidjan.
The French defence minister was quoted by AFP news agency as saying: “Today, at the moment, former president Gbagbo’s forces are reportedly a bit less than 1,000, including 200 at his residence.”
Reuters news agency reports that Mr Longuet also told the Senate in Paris on Thursday that French helicopters had destroyed two pick-up trucks of gunmen trying to break into the French ambassador’s residence.
Meanwhile, Israel has now asked Paris to extract Israeli diplomats from Abidjan, according to French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe.
At the scene
We expect a fresh attack at any moment on Laurent Gbagbo’s besieged residence in Abidjan, although there’s a lull in fighting around the compound right now.
I’m in the west of the city and there are lots of soldiers around me. They say they constantly have to battle militias loyal to Laurent Gbagbo. I’ve just spoken to a civilian who says 10 people were killed on his street last night by those militias.
Soldiers are sweeping through neighbourhoods rounding up young men who they suspect may be involved. There are 200 of them here being kept inside a car wash at a garage by the roadside. They’re sitting on the floor looking very nervous.
The soldiers have just brought in a woman, who they claim is a Liberian mercenary; she’s told me she’s a Nigerian civilian. She looks very anxious.
On Wednesday evening, French helicopters rescued a Japanese ambassador from the city’s diplomatic quarter.
Soldiers exchanged fire with Gbagbo fighters as they whisked Okamura Yoshifumi and his aides to a French military camp south of Abidjan.
Mr Yoshifumi said unidentified gunmen had occupied his home near the presidential residence, firing heavy weapons from the building.
France has had troops in Ivory Coast alongside UN peacekeepers since the country’s civil war broke out almost a decade ago.
Mr Gbagbo insists he won a run-off vote in November, but the Ivorian election commission found he lost – and the UN certified that result.
The ballot had been intended to reunite the former French colony, which split in two following a northern rebellion in 2002.
After months of stalling negotiations, forces loyal to Mr Gbagbo’s rival last week swept south to Abidjan.
Ivorian turmoil28 November: Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and challenger Alassane Ouattara in election run-off2 December: Electoral commission announces that Ouattara won 54% of vote3 December: Constitutional Council declaring Gbagbo the winner; UN says Ouattara was victor30 March: Pro-Ouattara forces enter the capital, Yamoussoukro4 April: UN launches air strikes on Gbagbo in main city, Abidjan5 April: Three generals negotiate Gbagbo’s surrenderOuattara’s political tightrope
Mr Gbagbo says his rival’s troops want to kill him, but they say they have strict orders to capture him alive.
On Monday, French and UN attack helicopters bombarded Gbagbo arms sites in Abidjan, including inside the presidential compound.
Pro-Gbagbo forces had been accused of firing heavy weaponry at UN peacekeepers and into areas of the city that voted for his opponent.
The battle for Abidjan has now been raging for a week and it is unsafe for many of the city’s several million people to go outside.
The main banks have been closed for nearly two months and few people have the funds to stock up on food.
The International Criminal Court says it will investigate alleged human rights abuses by both sides during the fighting, which has left hundreds dead.
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