West African leaders are holding emergency talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja Friday on how best to address the escalating crisis in the Ivory Coast.
Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to step down as president has resulted in deadly violence.
The meeting is the second this month by the 15 member Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) since last month’s election.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday, recognizing Mr. Gbagbo’s opponent, Alassane Ouattara, as the winner of Ivory Coast’s presidential election.
Also Thursday, the Central Bank of West African States said it has blocked funds to Mr. Gbagbo, adding pressure on the defiant leader to leave office.
Earlier Thursday, a United Nations official said more than 170 people have been killed in the past week in Ivory Coast.
The U.N. deputy human rights chief, Kyung-wha Kang, said the U.N. has substantiated at least 173 killings, 90 cases of torture, 471 arrests, and 24 cases of people disappearing in a five-day period beginning last Thursday.
The U.N. Human Rights Council passed a resolution in Geneva Thursday strongly condemning the killings and other human rights abuses, and calling for an end to the violence.
The U.N. representative to Ivory Coast, Young Choi, told VOA that the situation in the country is very tense and said there are human rights violations everywhere to be seen.
On Wednesday, the United States said it is talking with African nations about boosting the 10,000-person U.N. peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast.
The presidential election was meant to restore stability to Ivory Coast, eight years after a civil war split the country into rebel- and government-controlled areas.
Mr. Gbagbo has ruled the country since 2000. His term officially ended in 2005, but he remained in office through repeated election delays.
Source: www.voanews.com
