Ivory Coast president orders all UN peacekeepers to leave country
The government of Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has told the United Nations
and French peacekeeping missions to leave the country, escalating a dispute over last
month's elections.
The West African country has been in turmoil since a Nov.
28 election in which Gbagbo claimed victory with backing from the nation's top legal
body, rejecting as fraudulent results showing he lost to rival Alassane Ouattara.
The U.N. also certified election results showing Ouattara as the winner.
The
dispute turned violent when pro-Ouattara marchers clashed with security forces on
Thursday, leaving at least 20 people dead.
On Friday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon
along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, renewed their calls for Mr. Gbagbo to
cede power.
On Saturday, Gbagbo ordered all U.N. peacekeepers to leave the
country immediately for not remaining neutral in the political dispute. About 800
U.N. peacekeepers have been protecting the compound where Ouattara is trying to govern
the West African nation.
Earlier on Saturday, the U.N. said six masked assailants
opened fire on the U.N. base in Ivory Coast. No one from the U.N. was harmed in the
attack.