Men captured by forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara and detained for unknown reasons, sit near a checkpoint serving as an operating base at a main entrance to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Heavy arms fire rang out near the home of Laurent Gbagbo, the country's strongman who remained holed up in a subterranean bunker, as forces backing his rival assaulted the residence to try to force him out, diplomats and witnesses said.
Negotiations to persuade Gbagbo to quit suffered a setback when he resisted pressure from the United Nations and France to sign a document renouncing his claim to power. A French source said the fresh fighting broke out when talks collapsed because Gbagbo who lost a UN-certified election but has refused to cede power, was unwilling to negotiate with mediators trying to secure his departure.