Abidjan:
Gunfire and explosions shook Ivory Coast's main city on Thursday as supporters and security forces loyal to the two men claiming to be president clashed, killing up to 18 people amid fears the violence could push the country toward another civil war.
The toll of 18 dead cited by senior opposition official Amadou Coulibaly could not be immediately confirmed, and police could not be reached for comment. An Associated Press reporter saw at least three bodies in one neighbourhood.
The bloodshed across Abidjan is part of a risky push to take control of state institutions by Alassane Ouattara, the widely recognised winner of an election that millions once hoped would reunite the West African nation.
Long streams of light and heavy machine-gunfire and unexplained explosions were audible for 30 to 45 minutes in the streets outside the UN-protected Golf Hotel, where Ouattara has attempted to govern while incumbent Laurent Gbagbo rules from the presidential palace.
The exchange of fire erupted when rebel troops, who control the north of the country and are helping guard Ouattara, tried to remove makeshift roadblocks on streets near the hotel, Ouattara communications adviser Massere Toure told The Associated Press.
She said government forces wounded three rebels. Both the army and police declined to comment on the fighting.
Elsewhere, riot police fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse gathering protesters in multiple parts of the city.
In the Abobo neighbourhood, an Associated Press photographer saw the bodies of three men lying in the street who several witnesses said had been shot by police.
One had been shot in the head, two others in the chest. Several more were wounded during midmorning clashes elsewhere, according to AP reporters on the scene.
The violence brought skyscraper-lined Abidjan to a standstill. Businesses were closed and fearful residents stayed home. City streets were deserted except for soldiers and police, who also used batons to beat back demonstrators, some of whom hurled stones from rooftops at security forces.