erupt after Gbagbo's mandate expires next month. "The heads of state and government expressed deep concern about the persistence and deterioration of the situation in the country, a situation with the potential to destabilise the entire West African sub-region," the communique said. Once an oasis of relative wealth and peace in turbulent West Africa, the former French colony was split in two by the civil war, which damaged its economy and strained relations with its neighbours. Gbagbo failed to attend the Abuja summit after rejecting ECOWAS mediation on the grounds that some members were biased in favour of the rebel New Forces. Gbagbo has accused Burkina Faso and Mali -- both ECOWAS member states with a large number of nationals living in Ivory Coast -- of supporting the rebels and has said other West African countries are plundering its riches and profiting from the crisis.
