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Loyalist and rebel forces accuse each other of atrocity in Duékoué, while fears deepen of protracted warfare in Abidjan The full horror of the violence sweeping Ivory Coast has emerged as the battle for Abidjan raged and thousands of civilians faced critical shortages. Forces loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo defied expectations by mounting stubborn resistance in the economic capital for a third day, raising fears of protracted urban warfare and soaring casualties. The heavy weapons fire and fighting left thousands of people barricaded inside their homes and in increasingly urgent need of food, water and medical treatment. Looting is rife amid a sense of lawlessness and anarchy. Deepening the fear in the capital, it was reported that at least 800 people were massacred in intercommunal violence in the western town of Duékoué, which fell to rebels last week. This was despite the presence of hundreds of UN peacekeepers there. In five days, the rebel forces aiming to install Alassane Ouattara, the widely recognised winner of last November’s election, took nearly 80% of Ivory Coast before entering Abidjan and encircling the presidential residence and palace. But hopes for a swift climax appear to have been dashed as Gbagbo makes an improbable last stand. His most reliable fighters, the roughly 2,500-strong elite republican guard, and remaining regular army troops have not yielded to seemingly overwhelming odds. Gbagbo’s Europe-based adviser Toussaint Alain defiantly told reporters in Paris that the president was still in his residence “like Sarkozy at the Elysée and Obama at the White House”. Foreign secretary William Hague called for restraint last night amid the violent struggle for power. “I am determined that all alleged human rights abuses in the city and elsewhere in Côte d’Ivoire must be investigated and those responsible held to account,” he said. “Laurent Gbagbo must heed the calls from the international community and step down at once to prevent further bloodshed.” On Friday, shooting near the presidential palace and residence died down, suggesting that the rebel group had been pushed back. A fighter with Ouattara’s forces, Boubacar Drame, said they were waiting for reinforcements. An adviser to Ouattara said fighters had surrounded the palace, but stopped shooting to give Gbagbo time to surrender overnight. “He said there has been too much blood,” he said. “Ouattara does not want for Gbagbo to die. But he also said that patience has a limit.” The fighting soon restarted on Saturday morning around the palace, state broadcaster and military bases. Gun battles and the sound of heavy weapons fire rang out across the city. The UN said one of its patrols and the office of its mission chief had both come under fire. Residents said they heard loud explosions near Agban base, the city’s biggest compound, in the Adjame neighbourhood near Cocody where Gbagbo has his official residence. There were also rumours of government soldiers fighting among themselves. Jules Konin, who lives nearby, told Reuters: “Mortar fire has been heard since late last night around the gendarmerie. It is very loud and we’re taking shelter in our homes.” A sports coach, who did not wish to be named, told how he and 10 of his colleagues have been seeking shelter from the fighting behind the bar of a sports club for three consecutive days. “I went to look for food yesterday because we had nothing left to eat,” he said. “The streets were deserted – I saw two other people at most, and zero cars. I was able to buy a bag of rice and a bit of cooking oil in a nearby shantytown. But we have all run out of phone credit and we are no longer able to call our relatives.” Henry Gray, a field coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, said in an email: “It’s quite a hairy situation here at the moment. We’re hearing constant gunfire along with the occasional heavy detonation. We had been visiting clinics until a few days ago, but the situation on the streets has deteriorated to such an extent that it’s just become too dangerous to go outside. There’s a lot of pillaging and looting going on, and if you’re out on the streets you’re basically a target. There is a real atmosphere of fear, particularly in poorer areas.” At least 1,200 people – mostly Lebanese and European citizens – have sought refuge at the French army base. The Lebanese, who own hundreds of shops and supermarkets across the city, have been particularly targeted by looters. Pro-Gbagbo forces retain control of state broadcaster RTI, which came back on air on Friday after heavy fighting took it down, showing pro-Gbagbo rallies and footage of his swearing-in ceremony after the contested November election. In a bizarre announcement, a news presenter appeared, looking nervous and wearing a dishevelled yellow T-shirt, and claimed the station had been attacked by the UN peacekeeping mission, “assisted by Guinean, Malian, Senegalese, Beninese and Burkinabe mercenaries”. He denied that Gbagbo’s residence had been attacked: “The president of the republic is at work; he continues to watch over Ivory Coast.” A military spokesman then read a statement calling on all military personnel to join forces at five locations in the besieged city. One lieutenant colonel urged the population to “go about their usual business in all quietude”. A flashing scroll said Gbagbo’s youth leader, Charles Blé Goudé, would give an order soon. The army handed out weapons to hundreds in the notorious Young Patriots group last week and they have killed a number of civilians, particularly west African immigrants whom state TV blames for the rebellion. Ouattara’s government spokesman Patrick Achi insisted that Gbagbo’s fall was imminent. “I’m not worried at all,” he told Reuters. “Where is he going to go? He doesn’t control the army or the gendarmerie. They will be exhausted. They are running out of ammunition.” Human Rights Watch called on Ouattara to control his rampant troops, amid reports of atrocities from both sides. Daniel Bekele, the watchdog’s Africa director, said: “Ouattara should send an unequivocal public message to all his commanders and forces fighting on his behalf that reprisals of any kind will be punished.” The rebels have swept south this week, but not without disastrous loss of life. On Tuesday, a day after Ouattara’s forces took Duékoué, intercommunal fighting broke out, killing at least 800 people, the Red Cross said. Kelnor Panglung, spokesman for the Red Cross in Ivory Coast, said there were “lots of people dead in the streets. We could see a lot of people killed. It’s truly horrific. There is no point for us to say if a certain ethnic group has been targeted because this inter-communal tension is a general problem. We are calling on the armed groups to protect the civilian population – this should be a priority.” It was unclear if Ouattara’s forces were involved in the attack in Duékoué, which has been the scene of communal violence before. Ouattara’s government denied their fighters were involved in any atrocities, and blamed the killings on Gbagbo forces. The UN puts the death toll since the conflict began at nearly 500, but events of past week have probably pushed it into the thousands – with no end in sight. Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo Alassane Ouattara David Smith guardian.co.uk