The three-month long conflict in Ivory Coast has entered a particularly bloody stage. Nearly 400 people have been killed in the west African country, including 32 on March 3 alone, almost all of them men who had voted for opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, according to UN figures. International groups and most nations recognized Ouattara as the legitimate leader of the country after elections late last year. But Laurent Gbagbo refuses to turn over the government and loyal forces have brutally attacked Ouattara supporters. Hundreds of civilians have fled their homes trying to avoid the clashes between the two sides. International observers fear the nation is on the verge of a civil war. -- Lloyd Young (28 photos total)
Protesters set up a fiery roadblock in the Abobo area of Abidjan March 3. Ivorian security forces and tanks, backing incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, opened fire on a rally of hundreds of unarmed women in Abobo. Seven protesters were killed. The massacre was the latest of clashes that have erupted in the west African country since a disputed election on Nov. 28 that Alassane Ouattara won, according to international election groups, regional African organizations, and most nations. About 300 people had been killed in the violence, and there are fears of a return to civil war. (Luc Gnago/Reuters)
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