Pro-government militia attacked rebel fighters in western Ivory Coast on Monday in the first outbreak of hostilities since forces loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo bombed rebel towns in November. Rebels declared the assault meant the end of international efforts to halt an on-off civil war in the world's top cocoa grower. The U.N. said its peacekeepers had restored order but the attack could only be seen as a setback to the peace process. "This morning, war well and truly began in Ivory Coast," said Sidiki Konate, a spokesman for the rebel New Forces. The fighting erupted at about 4 a.m. (0400 GMT) in Logouale, 55 km (34 miles) north of Duekoue and on the rebel side of a buffer zone policed by peacekeepers, the United Nations and fighters said. A senior rebel commander called Wattao said more than 30 pro-government fighters and two rebels had been killed. His men took close to 90 prisoners as well as assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, he said. --More 0011 Local Time 2111 GMT
