Six women shot dead by forces in Côte d'Ivoire

Six women shot dead by forces in Côte d'Ivoire

2011-03-04 02:25:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE (BNO NEWS) -- Ivorian security forces on Thursday shot dead at least six women marching in support of presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara in the main city of Abidjan.

The women were taking part in a march organized by Ouattara's RHDP political alliance when police opened fire in the northern Abidjan suburb of Abobo. The BBC says a curfew continues in the suburb as security forces loyal to Gbagbo struggle to control the area.

Côte d'Ivoire has been in turmoil since last December when outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo, who was defeated in the November run-off elections by opposition candidate Lassane Ouattara, refused to step down despite the approval from the UN and the international community. Some 20,000 Ivorians have been internally displaced and over 33,000 more have fled to neighboring Liberia due to the violence between both sides.

On Wednesday, international radio stations, including the BBC, were taken off air without explanation, while electricity and water were cut off in a region traditionally opposed to Gbagbo. In an official statement, the electricity company denied any responsibility for the power cuts, saying they were a direct result of armed men taking control of the distribution centre on Monday. According to the BBC, over the last few days, informal road blocks have been set up throughout Abidjan manned by pro-Gbagbo youth, often armed with AK-47s, machetes and knives.

The 2010 presidential elections were meant to be the culminating point in reunifying a country split by civil war in 2002 into a Government-controlled south and a rebel-held north.


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