Akhir 26, 1432, March 31, 2011, SPA-- Rebels fighting to install Ivory Coast's democratically elected president began besieging the main city of Abidjan on Thursday after seizing a key seaport overnight, as he vowed to «re-establish democracy and enforce the choice of the people.», according to AP. The top military commander of the country's entrenched ruler fled to the residence of South Africa's ambassador. However, an adviser to longtime president Laurent Gbagbo said he would not step down even in the face of a rebel onslaught on the country's commercial capital. The international community declared Alassane Ouattara the winner of the November presidential election, but Gbagbo has clung to power for months. The violence has left at least 462 people dead, and up to 1 million have fled their homes amid the postelection chaos. -- SPA
