Fighting Erupts on Ivory Coast Western Border
Reports from the area Sunday said forces loyal to incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo are clashing with former rebels who back rival leader Alassane Ouattara.
The fighting is said to be centered in the town of Toulepleu, located near Ivory Coast's border with Liberia.
Mr. Gbagbo has rejected international pressure to give up power in Ivory Coast. Most of the international community recognizes Mr. Ouattara as the winner of a November presidential election.
Aides of Mr. Ouattara say members of a pro-Gbagbo youth group, the Young Patriots, began raiding the homes on Thursday. Witnesses report seeing gangs of teenagers stealing cars and valuables from the homes, with police making no attempt to stop them.
All of the targeted homes belong pro-Ouattara businessmen or ministers in his government.
There were no reported injuries from the attacks. The United Nations says at least 365 people have died in post-election violence between Gbagbo and Ouattara supporters since early December/
On Saturday, Mr. Ouattara said he will attend an upcoming meeting of African Union leaders as part of efforts to resolve the country's political crisis.
The trip would mark the first time since the November 28 election that Mr. Ouattara leaves the country. The former prime minister has been barricaded in an Abidjan hotel, surrounded by troops loyal to Mr. Gbagbo. U.N. peacekeepers are guarding the hotel.
A panel of African leaders is trying to find a solution to the standoff. A top African Union official, Jean Ping, met with both of the rival presidents in Abidjan on Saturday. He said he passed a message to both of them but did not elaborate on its contents.
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