UN condemns mortar attack on Ivory Coast market

Yahoo News, by Marco Chown Oved, Associated Press

A fighter opposed to Laurent Gbagbo's bid to cling to power stands guard
along a road in the Abobo district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast Saturday, March 12, 2011.
Since repelling intense attacks by security forces two weeks ago, an armed force
comprising neighborhood residents, former rebels, and defecting security forces
has been steadily gaining ground in Abidjan's northern suburbs and now controls
a large swath of territory including Anyama and most of Abobo.

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – The United Nations on Friday condemned a mortar attack on a market that killed at least 25 people in Ivory Coast and said it could be a crime against humanity.

The U.N. blamed forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to cede power has sparked a growing political crisis. They said in a statement that Thursday's attack sent at least six 81 mm mortar shells into an Abidjan neighborhood. The UN said at least 40 people also were wounded.

Shells fell without warning on a market in front of the mayor's office in Abobo, a district held by fighters loyal to the internationally recognized president, Alassane Ouattara. At one market stall, an elderly woman lost both her legs, a witness said.

Earlier in the day, pro-Ouattara fighters ambushed a police station in the Adjame district of Abidjan, though it was unclear whether anyone was killed.

Rights group Amnesty International on Friday condemned the attack.

"To launch an attack of this kind that kills and injures a large number of people who are not posing an immediate threat is completely unacceptable," said Veronique Aubert, the group's Africa deputy director.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast's biggest city, has for weeks seen daily battles that have left hundreds dead. Fighting was initially confined to pro-Ouattara neighborhoods but has now spread across the city, breaking out in different locations each day.

U.N. investigators were seen Friday in Abobo. The violence has also drawn the interest of the Hague-based International Criminal Court, which said they are monitoring events closely.