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Soldiers fighting in the name of internationally recognized Cote d'Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara Thursday seized San Pedro, the world's biggest cocoa-exporting port, residents said, in a major push toward winning the country's civil war. They took the port city in the early morning having swept southward from strongholds in the north since Monday, seizing other towns that had been controlled by forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to cede power. Ouattara's camp repeated warnings for Gbagbo to step down, saying that, if he did not, they would focus their efforts on capturing the country's economic capital, Abidjan. "They have had total control of the town since 4 am," a resident in San Pedro said. "They launched an offensive between 10 pm and 1 am, and afterward they carried out searches. Currently, they are patrolling the town on board 4x4's armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-launchers," he added. Cote d'Ivoire is the world's top cocoa producer and exporter, but the industry has become listless since international sanctions were imposed to try and choke off Gbagbo's economic power. Gbagbo, who refuses to accept he lost November elections, came under more pressure when the United Nations on Wednesday followed the European Union and United States in imposing sanctions against him and his leadership. In San Pedro, pro-Ouattara fighters had met with local government authorities late Wednesday, an official said. Witnesses reported that Gbagbo supporters had looted several businesses and burned a police station after stealing weapons from it. AFP |
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