Ivory Coast, May 04: Violence clashes have erupted in Ivory Coast between government forces and troops loyal to ousted president Laurent Gbagbo.
At least 40 people have been killed in the latest round of fighting in the suburbs of the main city of Abidjan, Reuters reported.
“We have seen many dead. We recovered 40 bodies over two hours, but we were forced to stop because there was no room left in our van,” Reuters quoted Franck Kodjo, an official at the International Committee of the Red Cross, as saying.
He added that at least five bodies were from Tuesday’s fighting.
The new violence erupted after a delegation of mediators led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan wrapped up a two-day visit to Ivory Coast in an attempt to encourage reconciliation.
Annan was joined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and Mary Robinson, the Republic of Ireland’s former president.
An Ivorian Army commander says the remaining pro-Gbagbo fighters are mostly Liberian mercenaries.
The army plans to clear the area of the remnants of the militia loyal to Gbagbo.
Ivory Coast has been the scene of deadly violence since last November. The unrest broke out after Gbagbo refused to hand over power to his rival Alassane Ouattara who won the presidential elections.
The violence mostly subsided after Gbagbo and a group of his cohorts were arrested on April 11.
Ouattara finally stepped foot in the presidential palace in the country’s main city of Abidjan on the day of Gbagbo’s detention, exactly five months since his runoff election against now toppled Gbagbo tipped the West African country into political crisis.
Ouattara said last week that he would take the oath of office on May 21.
During the run-up to his ouster, Gbagbo committed crimes against humanity and was suspected of having made mass graves by killing opposition forces, the UN said.
After five months of unrest in the country, the humanitarian crisis continues with thousands of displaced people in dire need of food and water.
——–Agencies