rich town of Duekoue two weeks ago, triggering revenge slayings and killing more than 100 people in total. Thousands of people fled the violence. The clashes, which were the worst to hit Ivory Coast for months, raised the spectre of a slide back into a civil war that has killed thousands of people and threatened to draw in neighbouring countries. They cast a pall over a fragile peace process aimed at reuniting the former French colony. Rebels seized the north of the country in September 2002 following a failed attempt to oust President Laurent Gbagbo. Gbagbo's camp and the rebel New Forces have traded blame for the bloodletting in Duekoue and both sides were expected to use it as a pretext to avoid laying down their weapons under an already delayed disarmament plan due to begin on June 27. --SP 2329 Local Time 2029 GMT
