Gbagbo forces regain ground in I.Coast’s Abidjan-UN

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – Forces loyal to  beleaguered Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo have regained  ground in Abidjan and fully control the upscale Plateau and  Cocody areas, U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said yesterday.

“There is still fighting going on but there is a  stalemate,” Le Roy told reporters after briefing the U.N.  Security Council on the situation in the world’s top  cocoa-growing nation.

Gbagbo has refused to cede power after a U.N.-certified  election last year showed he lost to rival Alassane Ouattara. A  human rights group yesterday accused forces for both sides of  killing and abusing civilians.

Le Roy said Gbagbo’s forces, under attack by those of  Ouattara, used a lull on Tuesday for peace talks as a ruse to  reinforce their positions. The talks have so far led nowhere.

“We understand that since that time (the lull), the forces  of Mr. Gbagbo … have regained terrain and they have full  control of the Plateau and Cocody area,” he said.

“He has reinforced his strength in Plateau and Cocody,” Le  Roy said. “We have seen heavy weapons to be transferred to the  Cocody area, including this morning.”

Le Roy said Gbagbo’s men still had heavy weapons, even  though U.N. and French forces had destroyed some of them. But Gbagbo’s adviser in Paris denied his forces had heavy  arms.

“These are untruthful statements as the Ivory Coast army’s  abilities were destroyed by French bombings earlier this week,”  Toussaint Alain told Reuters. “France is just looking for a  pretext to get rid of President Laurent Gbagbo.”

U.N. and French troops used attack helicopters this week to  knock out heavy weapons used by Gbagbo’s forces after getting a  green light from the Security Council last week.

Separately, Human Rights Watch issued a report yesterday  saying forces loyal to Ouattara killed hundreds of civilians,  raped more than 20 suspected supporters of Gbagbo and burned at  least 10 villages in the country’s far western region.