French and UN forces support final assault by opposition
Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo was arrested on Monday by forces loyal to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara working French and UN troops. Gbagbo had been hiding in a bunker underneath his presidential compound since last week, while heavy fighting raged in the capital of Abidjan. French and UN vehicles, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers, sent pro-Gbagbo gunmen fleeing through the streets as they advanced on Gbagbo’s residence, supporting pro-Ouattara forces as they laid siege to the compound. Gbagbo refused to hand over the presidency to Ouattara after losing the November 2010 election, and in choosing to fight rather than give up power, he has brought the country to the brink of civil war.