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Abidjan residents begin to return to normal life days after capture of rogue leader, amid reports of continued violence in Yopougon The long queue zigzagging outside a reopened bakery on Wednesday hinted at a city rediscovering itself. It was one of several signs that Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast, could be returning to something like normality two days after the capture of its rogue president, Laurent Gbagbo. Just down the street, formerly the scene of fierce combat, hundreds of people milled around fruit and vegetable stalls. A minibus pulled up and women stepped out carrying crates of eggs. At nearby restaurants, people smiled and waved at passing French military patrols. Some petrol stations reopened, communal taxis were operating and water and electricity, cut off by 10 days of fighting, were restored to most neighbourhoods, residents said. The UN Children’s Fund, Unicef, was able to deliver supplies such as medicine, soap and blankets to the city for the first time in weeks. But people were forced to step over the detritus of battle and several burnt bodies could still be seen in grasslands – one, a young man, clutching a bunch of fruit. “Life is gradually returning to normal, shops have reopened as well as pharmacies,” Mariam Kone, in the southern district of Koumassi, told Reuters. “At night, though, there is still shooting by those who have weapons. They are not happy at all that Gbagbo’s gone.” There were reports of continued violence in Yopougon, a pro-Gbagbo stronghold. “There’s a lot of submachine gunfire and we don’t know who is doing the shooting,” Stella Gogo, a resident, told Reuters. Amnesty International reported that on Tuesday armed men, some wearing military uniforms, carried out house-to-house searches in real or perceived pro-Gbagbo neighbourhoods. One witness told the rights group how a policeman from Gbagbo’s ethnic group was taken from his house and shot dead at point-blank range. Footage has emerged showing forces loyal to Gbagbo’s rival, Alassane Ouattara, walking through the front gate of Gbagbo’s presidential residence carrying firearms. Many are dressed in camouflage and wearing helmets, and some are crouched in shooting position. After orders from a commander, fighters enter the property by shooting at the lock and forcing their way inside. The footage, shot by a pro-Ouattara fighter and obtained by Associated Press, shows fighters putting a camouflage flak jacket on Gbagbo. He and his wife are then escorted to a car with a tank sitting nearby. On a visit to the residence on Wednesday, the Guardian observed burned-out armoured vehicles, wrecked cars and discarded uniforms. The front entrance was battered. A sign for Gbagbo’s elite republican guard lay lopsided. French soldiers fired teargas to deter would-be looters. In one part of the compound, a building that contained a prison cell was littered with grenades, newspapers and upturned beds, while outside a guitar rested on a fridge beside two neatly packed leather suitcases. A pristine picture of Gbagbo was on the wall. Outside, curiously, amid discarded sofas and mattresses, was a blackboard on which was chalked: “Beyonce, I love you.” Philippe Mangou, Gbagbo’s ex-army chief of staff, called on all soldiers to report to their base to serve under Ouattara’s army, the Republican Forces of Ivory Coast. Ouattara said Gbagbo had been moved out of the Golf hotel, where he was taken after his capture on Monday. He said Gbagbo would be kept in a villa and his rights as a former head of state would be respected. “Gbagbo is in a residence under surveillance somewhere in Ivory Coast,” Ouattara said. “There will be charges [against Gbagbo] on a national level and an international level. Reconciliation cannot happen without justice.” He said he had phoned South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, for advice about setting up a credible and independent truth and reconciliation committee. Ouattara repeated his call against violence, and said all minors being held should be released immediately. “We need to secure the country, notably Abidjan,” he said. “It is important for the country to emerge from this crisis on top.” Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo Alassane Ouattara David Smith guardian.co.uk