Forces opposed to incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo have seized the country’s official capital, Yamoussoukro, although Gbagbo forces still control the main seat of power in Abidjan.
A spokeswoman for the New Forces rebels, who support Mr. Gbagbo’s presidential rival, Alassane Ouattara, told VOA that fighters entered Yamoussoukro Wednesday, after making major advances across Ivory Coast. Residents say pro-Gbagbo forces have fled and that pro-Ouattara forces are walking and driving through the streets.
The spokeswoman also said rebels have taken control of the key port city of San Pedro. Residents in the city say rebels have entered the town and say they can hear gunfire.
In another development Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council approved sanctions against Mr. Gbagbo, who refused to relinquish the presidency after Mr. Ouattara was named the winner of last November’s presidential election. The sanctions include a travel ban and asset freeze on Mr. Gbagbo, his wife and three key aides.
The resolution urges the nearly 10,000 U.N. peacekeepers in Ivory Coast to use “all necessary means” to protect civilians under “imminent threat of violence,” including to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population.
France and Nigeria co-sponsored the resolution in the Council. French Ambassador Gérard Araud told reporters the situation in Ivory Coast is “worsening by the hour.”
Mr. Gbagbo was scheduled to address the nation late Wednesday, but his spokesman appeared on national television instead. The spokesman said the president is following the situation in the country closely and has decided to delay his address to the nation.
Pro-Ouattara forces have seized several towns in west, central and eastern Ivory Coast since launching an offensive on Monday. Earlier Wednesday, the New Forces spokeswoman said pro-Ouattara fighters now control almost 75 percent of the country.
A spokesman for Mr. Gbagbo, Don Mello, has called for a cease-fire and the opening of dialogue. But Mr. Ouattara’s government said all “peaceful avenues” for Mr. Gbagbo to admit his election defeat are exhausted.
Mr. Ouattara’s prime minister, Guillaume Soro, told reporters Wednesday that Mr. Gbagbo had just hours to leave power peacefully, or the rebels would march on Abidjan. The city is about 200 kilometers from Yamoussoukro.
Late Tuesday, the Gbagbo government called on members of the president’s youth movement to enroll in the army.
Former colonial power France, meanwhile, said pro-Gbagbo forces had fired on the French ambassador’s convoy in Abidjan.
The United Nations says at least 462 people have been killed since the political crisis began in early December. It says up to 1 million people have been displaced, with thousands fleeing west to Liberia or east to Ghana.
The disputed election was meant to reunite Ivory Coast, nearly a decade after a brief civil war left it split into a rebel-controlled north and a government-controlled south.
Efforts by the African Union to resolve the post-election crisis peacefully have so far failed.
