The mission of UN peacekeepers in Ivory Coast said Laurent Gbagbo's forces were preparing an attack helicopter and multiple rocket launchers and condemned the increasing use of heavy weapons against civilians. The statement came after Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, has criticized the mission for not doing enough to protect civilians, saying that security forces killed a leader defiant 832 people since a disputed election in November the largest producer of cocoa in the world.
Gbagbo's spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The power struggle has degenerated into an armed conflict, confrontation and use of heavy weapons in the main city, Abidjan and the west, along a zone of north-south ceasefire imposed since the end of the last war civil in 2003.
The UN mission said that Gbagbo's men were repairing a helicopter MI-24 attack and preparing BM21 multiple rocket launchers. "(The UN mission) is closely monitoring these heavy weapons, which pose a serious threat to civilians. The mission notes in this field will not tolerate any attempt to use these weapons and take action to fulfill its mandate" , the statement added.
At least 25 people were killed and 60 wounded when forces loyal to Gbagbo fired a series of mortar rounds in the Abobo district in the north of Abidjan on Thursday, including one that exploded in a crowded market, said the mission UN. The agency has a mandate to use deadly force to protect itself and civilians, but diplomats are worried because they are resisting this option for fear of colliding with the forces of Gbagbo, which they say are causing most of deaths.
The UN figures confirmed deaths on both sides is about 400 Ivorians. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes since the disputed election. 
Gbagbo's spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The power struggle has degenerated into an armed conflict, confrontation and use of heavy weapons in the main city, Abidjan and the west, along a zone of north-south ceasefire imposed since the end of the last war civil in 2003.
The UN mission said that Gbagbo's men were repairing a helicopter MI-24 attack and preparing BM21 multiple rocket launchers. "(The UN mission) is closely monitoring these heavy weapons, which pose a serious threat to civilians. The mission notes in this field will not tolerate any attempt to use these weapons and take action to fulfill its mandate" , the statement added.
At least 25 people were killed and 60 wounded when forces loyal to Gbagbo fired a series of mortar rounds in the Abobo district in the north of Abidjan on Thursday, including one that exploded in a crowded market, said the mission UN. The agency has a mandate to use deadly force to protect itself and civilians, but diplomats are worried because they are resisting this option for fear of colliding with the forces of Gbagbo, which they say are causing most of deaths.
The UN figures confirmed deaths on both sides is about 400 Ivorians. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes since the disputed election.
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