Akhir 30, April 4, 2011, SPA -- A final push by Ivory Coast rebels who have laid siege to the economic capital Abidjan as they look to oust President Laurent Gbagbo has got underway, a spokeswoman for Gbagbo's rival Alassane Ouattara said Monday, according to dpa. "The only thing I can say now is that the military offensive of our forces has just started," Anne Oulouto told the German Press Agency dpa. A dpa correspondent in Abidjan said fighting began around 1745 GMT, and that he could hear the constant thump of heavy artillery and explosions. Would-be president Alassane Outtara's forces last week looked like quickly seizing control of Abidjan after a surprise lightning assault through the country when many of Gbagbo's forces deserted. However, they encountered stiff resistance from remaining pockets of Gbagbo loyalists. There was a brief lull in the fighting Monday as rebel forces massed around the city, but Ouattara's prime minister had promised a "rapid offensive." There were also reports that the UN peacekeeping mission, which has been under attack by Gbagbo forces, had fired rockets from a helicopter at pro-Gbagbo forces in the Akouedo military base. A weeping Abidjan resident who lives next to the base told dpa by telephone that her house was rocked by the explosion. "My sons and I are not going to survive this bombing, we've never heard that before," she said. "Before I ran and hid under my bed, I saw a fireball and black smoke in the sky. The explosion smashed all the windows." YJ Choi, the UN's Special Representative for Ivory Coast, earlier in the day told the BBC's Focus on Africa that peacekeepers were planning to launch air attacks against Gbagbo's forces. French troops on Monday also received approval from President Nicolas Sarkozy to engage Gbagbo's troops. The Elysee confirmed that the order had been given to the 1,650- strong French force in its former colony, which had until now been protecting largely French citizens taking shelter at its base. French media reported it may have been French helicopters that attacked the military camp. An extra company of peacekeepers was dispatched Monday from a French military base in Gabon, in the second addition of troops in two days. Two French citizens were Monday among five people kidnapped from the Novotel Hotel in Abidjan by pro-Gbagbo militia, the French embassy confirmed, although it was not clear if they were intended to be used as a human shield. French nationals had already begun assembling "on a voluntary basis" at three places in Abidjan, the foreign ministry in Paris said. On Sunday, Sarkozy said all French nationals in the city would be assembled "immediately" for their protection, fuelling speculation that France was preparing a large-scale evacuation after French troops took control of Abidjan's airport at the weekend. The UN peacekeeping mission, known as UNOCI, had earlier evacuated hundreds of civilian personnel from its Abidjan headquarters, which it said had come under fire from a tank on Sunday. Gbagbo's forces are defending the presidential palace, state- controlled television RTI and other key locations, while many Abidjan residents have barricaded themselves at home. The whereabouts of Gbagbo are unclear. There is growing concern over the plight of civilians in the West African nation, and Ouattara's rebel forces are suspected of involvement in a massacre in the western town of Duekoue, where Catholic charity CARITAS says up to 1,000 died during the course of last week. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic arrived in Abidjan on Sunday to investigate human rights abuses, and said he was concerned over the massacre reports. In another development, Ivory Coast's army chief left the South African embassy in Abidjan, five days after taking refuge there. South African Foreign Ministry Spokesman Clayson Monyela said General Philippe Mangou left the embassy with his wife and five children on Sunday, but could not confirm rumours that the general had rejoined Gbagbo's forces. Gbagbo has ignored calls to step down since November's elections, in which international observers say Ouattara was elected president. Serious military action by the rebel forces backing Ouattara only got underway in recent weeks after mediation efforts and sanctions failed to budge Gbagbo. The Republican Forces of Cote D'Ivoire (FRCI), comprised of northern rebels' New Forces and other armed groups, easily overran Yamoussoukro, the nation's political capital, and the city of San Pedro, the world's largest cocoa-exporting port. The November poll had been supposed to consign to history the ghost of the civil war that broke out in 2002 and divided the country into the rebel, mainly Muslim north, and Christian south. dpa ml cb
