scale violence in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, in which at least 20 people were killed, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Thursday urged Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to respect the outcome of the presidential election and cede power. At an emergency meeting here, ambassadors from the OIC countries called upon Gbagbo to immediately transfer power to the poll-winner Alassane Ouattara. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, OIC General Secretary, said Ivory Coast today stands at a crossroads and a state of grave uncertainty hangs over it. “The presidential election which was intended to represent a major conclusive step in the peace process following the 2002 civil war, has sadly created an unpredictable political stalemate and is threatening the collective huge investment made in the peace process by the international community,” said Ihsanoglu. Meanwhile, armed political clashes in Abidjan left 10 demonstrators and 10 police and soldiers dead, a spokeswoman for Gbagbo's government said. “In total, today unfortunately saw 20 people killed, including 10 protesters and 10 members of the security forces (including three burned to death in their building),” said Education Minister Jacqueline Lohoues-Oble. Gunfire and explosions shook the capital bolstering fears the world's top cocoa producer is teetering on the edge of another civil war.
