End nears as UN copter opens fire to silence Ivory Coast leader's guns

A UNITED Nations helicopter fired at president Laurent Gbagbo's forces yesterday as France authorised its military forces to take out his heavy weapons, in an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts at forcing the strongman from office.

The office of French president Nicolas Sarkozy said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had requested France's military participation. Gbagbo lost presidential elections in November but refused to cede power even as his nation teetered on the brink of all-out civil war.

The helicopter fired on Gbagbo's troops at about 5pm local time to prevent them from using heavy weapons at the Akouedo camp in Abidjan, said the the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

Spokesman Nick Birnback told reporters that Gbagbo's forces have consistently used heavy weapons against civilians and peacekeepers in recent days. He says the action was taken according to the mandate the mission has from the UN Security Council.

"We saw two UNOCI (UN mission in Ivory Coast) MI-24 helicopters fire missiles on the Akouedo military camp. There was a massive explosion and we can still see the smoke," a witness in Abidjan said.

The camp is home to three battalions of the Ivorian army.

The attacks marked a big step up in the offensive to remove the strongman who has refused to cede power for more than four months since he was declared the loser of the election.

Frederic Daguillon, spokesman for the French force "Licorne" protecting civilians in Ivory Coast said earlier that the total French military presence in its former colony is 1,650.

Meanwhile, fighters backing democratically elected leader Alassane Ouattara entered Abidjan by the lorry-load yesterday afternoon as part of a final offensive to take the last piece of the West African country still largely controlled by Gbagbo.

Residents in two different districts in northern Abidjan reported seeing soldiers advancing into the city.

Thousands of troops had been massing outside Ivory Coast's commercial capital since last week, readying for the final battle to topple Gbagbo and install Ouattara.

Their commanding officer, Issiaka "Wattao" Ouattara, said he had 4,000 men with him plus another 5,000 already in the city. Asked how long he would need to take Abidjan, Wattao said: "We'll know when it starts, but it could take 48 hours to properly clear (the city)."

Their main target is the presidential palace and the mansion where Gbagbo is believed to be holed up.Both are located on the edges of a lagoon in the heart of the country's biggest city.

Explosions came from the city's centre, in the direction of the palace and military base. Machine gun fire erupted on the lagoonside highway only two blocks from the palace.

International observers and governments around the world backed the results issued by Ivory Coast's electoral commission showing Ouattara had won the November election, but Gbagbo refused to give up power after a decade in office.

The two men have vied for the presidency for months, with Ouattara using his international clout to financially and diplomatically suffocate Gbagbo.

After the final round of diplomatic efforts had failed, forces backing Ouattara launched an offensive last week seizing control of the administrative capital and other towns before heading towards Abidjan.