Escalating violence and fears of war have forced nearly one million residents to flee Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday, with scores more uprooted across the country. The west African nation has been embroiled in a political stalemate since incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power after November elections.
Election officials and the international community consider rival Alassane Ouattara the rightful winner of the poll.
Post election clashes have left at least 462 dead since December, the United Nations said.
Up to one million people have fled populated suburbs in Abidjan alone, said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
"The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fueled by fears of all-out war," Fleming said. (read more)
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