EXTRA: UN peacekeepers attacked in Ivory Coast

Tue, 28 Dec 2010

Nairobi/Abidjan - One United Nations peacekeeper was wounded and a vehicle burnt in an attack in Ivory Coast, the UN said Tuesday as efforts to force defiant leader Laurent Gbagbo from power continued.

"A convoy of three vehicles of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) transporting 22 Blue Helmets was attacked on Tuesday in the Abidjan neighborhood of Yopougon, while returning to the Ivorian economic capital from the interior of the country," UNOCI said in a statement.

"A large crowd encircled the convoy, wounding one soldier with a machete and burning one of the three vehicles."

Gbagbo, who is refusing to cede power to his rival Alassane Ouattara despite huge international pressure, last week ordered the 10,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission from the West African nation.

After his demand was ignored, the UN has complained its staff have become targets of harassment, intimidation and violence.

Three West African presidents are in Abidjan in the latest attempt to persuade Gbagbo to peacefully hand over power to Alassane Ouattara - the man widely recognized as the winner of last month's presidential elections.