Ivory Coast: Gbagbo and Ouattara fight for Duekoue

[frigidmagi]

BBC

[quote]Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's two rival leaders are engaged in fierce fighting for the strategic town of Duekoue in the western cocoa-growing region.

Fighters backing Alassane Ouattara, widely recognised as the winner of last year's election, say they have taken the town.

They have seized several towns from troops loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to cede power.

The United Nations estimates some one million people have fled the violence.

November's election was supposed to reunify the country, which has been divided since a 2002 civil war.

But the stand-off has led to widespread fears of renewed full-scale hostilities in the world's largest cocoa-producing country.

The New Forces former rebels, who support Mr Ouattara, remain in control of northern areas.

They have mostly stayed on their side of the 2003 ceasefire line but have also seized territory in the west, near the Liberian border.
'Surrounded'
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We hear heavy weapons fire... We are under the bed, we can't risk coming outâ€