Forces make final push to oust Ivory Coast's defiant incumbent

The African Union called on Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish power Friday as forces attacked the home of the disputed incumbent.
The organization urged Gbagbo "to immediately hand over power" to Alassane Ouattara, who international leaders recognize as the West African nation's democratically elected leader.
"Gbagbo's days are numbered because he overstayed his welcome," Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told CNN, who has served as the union's main negotiator in Ivory Coast's political crisis. "The will of the Ivorian people must finally prevail."
Gbagbo has refused to cede power after a disputed November election.
Forces loyal to Ouattara attacked Gbagbo's residence and took control of state-run TV early Friday morning, a spokesman for Ouattara told CNN.

Gbagbo's residence is near the state-run television station, said Patrick Achi, the Ouattara spokesman. Gbagbo apparently was not there.
The takeover occurred less than three hours after a Gbagbo spokesman appeared on the same network declaring that Gbagbo had no intention of leaving the presidential palace, according to a witness who saw the broadcast. The presidential palace is not Gbagbo's personal residence and is located elsewhere.
The takeover of the government network, which had previously been accused of inciting violence against protesters opposed to the Gbagbo government, came as Ivory Coast's internal war appeared to enter a decisive and final phase, with forces loyal to Ouattara making a final push to oust a defiant Gbagbo.
An Abidjan resident who asked not to be identified for security reasons said he heard heavy gunfire overnight and into Friday morning.
He said that most of the city's 4 million residents were huddled inside their homes with no access to information now that national broadcasting was off the air.
One of the people killed Thursday in the violence in Abidjan was a Swedish U.N. employee, said Joakim Larsson, a spokesman at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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