ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast: Hundreds of residents have fled Ivory Coast, United Nations officials said Tuesday, as the UN also began evacuating some 500 staffers after a contentious election that resulted in both candidates claiming the presidency. UN Development Program country director Andre Carvalho said hundreds of people have fled to neighboring countries, and that officials feared more would leave if violence broke out. “While there has not been any major violence, people have started fleeing into Ghana and Liberia,” he said. The international community has recognized opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as the winner of last week's runoff vote. Both Ouattara and President Laurent Gbagbo claimed victory in the poll and took oaths of office, and Gbagbo has defied pressure from France, the US and the UN to step down. Carvalho said the uncertainty over the poll has interrupted daily activities in the world's largest cocoa-producing nation. “Since the election, people haven't been working and haven't been making money,” he said.
