ABIDJAN: A top ally of Ivory Coast's internationally recognized leader said Friday that the country is already in a “civil war situation,” while the incumbent leader who refuses to step down after the disputed election accused world leaders of launching a coup to oust him. The United Nations has said that the volatile West African nation, once divided in two, faces a real risk of return to civil war, but Prime Minister Guillaume Soro told reporters that the country is already at this point - “indeed in a civil war situation.” “This is what's at stake: Either we assist in the installation of democracy in Ivory Coast or we stand by indifferent and allow democracy to be assassinated,” Soro said at a news conference, adding that more than 200 people already have been killed and 1,000 others wounded by gunfire. Human rights groups accuse incumbent Laurent Gbagbo's security forces of abducting and killing political opponents, though Gbagbo allies deny the allegations and say some of the victims were security forces killed by protesters. The UN has confirmed at least 173 deaths. Gbagbo gave an address late Friday on state television in which he accused the international community of mounting a coup d'etat to oust him and said Ivorians were being subjected to international hostility. “No one has the right to call on foreign armies to invade his country,” Gbagbo said. “Our greatest duty to our country is to defend it from foreign attack.” The United Nations had been invited by all parties to certify the results of the Nov. 28 presidential runoff vote. The UN declared Alassane Ouattara the winner, endorsing the announcement by the country's electoral commission. But Gbagbo has refused to step aside now for more than a month, defying international condemnation and growing calls for his ouster. The European Union said late Friday that it had approved sanctions on 59 more people, in addition to 19 already sanctioned last week including Gbagbo and his wife. Gbagbo and about 30 of his allies also face US travel sanctions, though such measures have typically failed to reverse illegal power grabs in Africa in the past. West African leaders have said they are prepared to use military force to push Gbagbo out, but are giving negotiations more time for now. For many, the credibility of the international community is at stake if it is unable to ensure that Ouattara takes power. Gbagbo points to Ivory Coast's constitutional council, which declared him president after throwing out more than half a million votes from Ouattara strongholds. The council invalidated election results in those areas, citing violence and intimidation directed at Gbagbo supporters. The top UN envoy in Ivory Coast has disputed that assessment. Meanwhile, a pro-Gbagbo youth leader has encouraged his supporters to seize the Golf Hotel, saying that Ouattara and Soro have until Saturday to “pack up their bags” and leave. The building is being guarded by some 800 UN peacekeepers and hundreds of rebels loyal to Ouattara. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he is “deeply alarmed” by the youth leader's comments, and he has called on Gbagbo supporters to “refrain from such dangerous irresponsible action,” a UN spokesman said.
