President Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast has sent soldiers into the streets to battle with the followers of his opponent.
Laurent Gbagbo has refused to concede his office to the man internationally recognised as the rightful president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara.
Forces loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo, known as the Young Patriots, have been on the streets of Abidjan with guns supplied by the army and even machetes.
The Young Patriots are being urged to put down their weapons and join the other side, even as they hack at the opposing protesters.
While President Gbagbo’s strongholds are now confined to the south of the country, the opposition holds the key port city of San Pedro.
Gbagbo’s army chief, Phillipe Mangou, has reportedly defected and the UN Security Council has voted for more sanctions against Gbagbo’s aides.
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