The heart of darkness: Steely stares of soldiers on the frontline of Ivory Coast's civil war... and these are the good guys - 7th Apr 2011

It's more than 1,000 miles from the Congo to the Ivory Coast, but Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness springs quickly to mind when viewing the latest images from inside crisis-torn Ivory Coast.

The evil that men do - and the special type of brutality wrought in Africa - hits home as troops loyal to president-elect Alessane Ouattara prepare with steely stares to finish off Laurent Gbagbo's dying regime.

As battle was under way today at the presidential palace in Abidjan where the rogue leader is holed up, these pictures will leave observers in no doubt that the crisis is heading for a bloody end. Read More