Gbagbo's forces strike back in Cote d'Ivoire
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Forces loyal to to Cote d'Ivoire's embattled President Laurent Gbagbo on Saturday carried out a counterattack on his rival Alassane Ouattara by firing at his headquarters in Abidjan.
Residents in Abidjan's Cocody district reported two hours of explosions and heavy arms fire before sunrise on Saturday.
Witnesses said there was an exchange of fire between the Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire and pro-Gbagbo forces near Ouattara's headquarters.
The attack on the Golf Hotel, which Ouattara has made his base since the election, involved mortar fire that appeared to have been fired from pro-Gbagbo forces, creating panic among people in the lobby of the hotel.
UN peacekeepers stationed around the hotel responded and fired heavy weapons to repel pro-Gbagbo forces.
The situation remained tense in the evening in almost the whole of Cocody district where civilians were holed up at home again.
The United States on Saturday condemned the "renewed assault by forces loyal to former President Gbagbo against the Republican Forces of Cote d' Ivoire."
"It is clear that Gbagbo's attempts at negotiation this week were nothing more than a ruse to regroup and rearm," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.
Gbagbo has refused to step down though Ouattara was widely recognized as the winner in the Nov. 28 presidential runoff, prompting the Republican Forces loyal to Ouattara to launch a military blitz in late March.
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