The situation in Ivory Coast continues to deteriorate.
Overnight, supporters of Alassane Ouattara siezed control of Yamassoukro, the administrative capital, and San Pedro, the cocoa port.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution imposing sanctions on the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo.
South Africa's foreign ministry has just announced that Laurent Gbagbo's army chief has taken refuge in the South African Embassy in Abidjan.
We know that many of you have been wanting to talk about Ivory Coast for a while. Over the last couple of weeks I've been talking to people in Ivory Coast about how this ongoing conflict is affecting their lives. Today we'll be speaking to as many of them as possible to find out what is going on. And one of our regular contributors in Abidjan has written this post for us.
Antonin first wrote for the blog in January. Here he tells us how things have changed and what new challenges he is facing. These are all his own words.
As the impasse in the post electoral dispute goes on in Ivory Coast, the bright daily life of Ivorians has ceased to exist. The atmosphere on the ground is indescribable. I have therefore the privilege to cast light on the convulsion in my country through a series of questions.
Musa Kusa should be giuen safe haven because he has done what Tariq Aziz could not do. Sensitive information that may accompany his defection may help speed up the removal of Gaddafi. Peter Ibi. Nigeria.
Comment sent via Twitter
18:48
117169699
#Moussa #Koussa needs to be sent back. The West cannot keep allowing war criminals to take refuge in our societies.
Comment sent via SMS
19:43
117170126
Pls. GBAGBO, STEP DOWN SO THAT IVORY COAST WILL BE SAVE, ANTHONY YEAKPALAH-LIBERIA
Comment sent via SMS
19:34
117170057
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD IT BEEN THAT THE PRO OUTARA DON鈥橳 HAVE THE NEW ARMED FORCES? MAXWELL IN MALAWI.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
19:28
113631290
Zwidomash tweets: Alassane Outtarra waited for Obama and company to stop the blood shed in Ivory coast, nothing came forth, so they doing it themselves.
Comment sent via SMS
19:23
116280537
All those who are defecting from Gadafi should join the rebels. Gbagbo & Gadafi are just the same they don鈥檛 know when say good bye. Billy in Zambia
Comment sent via SMS
19:18
115736824
Watara is to keep going strong with his own agenda and command his Forces for himself because the International Community are sleeping Mohamed Bawa F Town
Comment sent via YOURSAY
19:16
113631290
Medicins Sans Frontieres tweets: Like the population, the medical staff is running...most of the health structures are empty.
Comment sent via SMS
19:15
116955151
The advance on abidjan by pro wattara forces is timely i hope this move will serve as a deterent to all African dictators from Abdulai jalloh in Guinea
Comment sent via Facebook
19:15
113631290
Daniel in Ghana posts: if the west intervenes in ivory coast and things go wrong, the same people will turn around and blame the west.
Comment sent via SMS
19:14
114163660
I鈥檓 Bello Mustapha from Nigeria. Bagbo will definiately go off power, but it鈥檚 be slow.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
19:14
113631290
Joelle ET tweets: The end is coming. All, please remember we were brothers and sisters before this whole mess started.It's time to reunite.
Comment sent via SMS
19:09
116403715
Mr Gbagbo, if your army chief is now a refugee in a south African embassy, while don鈥檛 you do the same to avoid further lost of lives and property of your countrymen? Peter Ibi, Nasarawa state, Nigeria.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:56
113631290
Carl Bildt tweets: Ivory Coast needs our attention as well. Ggagbo must understand that he will be held accountable for crimes committed against civilians.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:54
113631290
Fool Injusto tweets: Ivory Coast, is it going to be another Rwanda and the world will pretend to look the other way. Oh how morally destitute we are.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:49
113631290
PJ Crowley tweets: There's still fight ahead for Abidjan, but patient strategy in support of democratic change in #IvoryCoast will soon pay off
Comment sent via Facebook
18:46
113631290
Tobias posts: How the situation in Ivory Coast has unfolded shows the dithering and unsure feet of the AU. Hopefully the New Forces can make a quick job of Gbagbo's soldiers, seize him and put him on trial for treason.
Comment sent via SMS
17:37
117136647
Gbagbo deserved what he will get at the end of the fight in the city he should have left after eleven years in power,god save the inocent ivorians.from a -missing Fragment-
Comment sent via host
18:45
113631290
We''ve moving on to talk about Ivory Coast now. You can post your comments here.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:41
113631290
Benyamin in the US posts on Facebook: I think Moussa Koussa's defection could be a signal of the future of the Ghadaffi Regime, here in the US our news channels have called him Ghadaffi's right hand man and I just hope that the rest of his officials take the hint that the axe will fall on the regime and the Libyan Freedom Fighters will prevail.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:40
113631290
Robin Grime tweets: Has anyone thought Moussa Koussa could be a double agent?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:39
113631290
Tom Bradby tweets: Moussa Koussa's arrival here is an incredible intelligence coup and, potentially, a long term political problem.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:35
113631290
Imanga posts: Gaddafi's regime is kicking the kicks of a dying horse
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:34
113631290
Moussa Koussa will test Cameron's nerve, blogs @benedictbrogan
The Latest from Ivory Coast
| Thursday, 3 March 2011 | 18:00 - 20:00 GMT
The situation in Ivory Coast continues to deteriorate.
Overnight, supporters of Alassane Ouattara siezed control of Yamassoukro, the administrative capital, and San Pedro, the cocoa port.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution imposing sanctions on the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo.
South Africa's foreign ministry has just announced that Laurent Gbagbo's army chief has taken refuge in the South African Embassy in Abidjan.
We know that many of you have been wanting to talk about Ivory Coast for a while. Over the last couple of weeks I've been talking to people in Ivory Coast about how this ongoing conflict is affecting their lives. Today we'll be speaking to as many of them as possible to find out what is going on. And one of our regular contributors in Abidjan has written this post for us.
Antonin first wrote for the blog in January. Here he tells us how things have changed and what new challenges he is facing. These are all his own words.
As the impasse in the post electoral dispute goes on in Ivory Coast, the bright daily life of Ivorians has ceased to exist. The atmosphere on the ground is indescribable. I have therefore the privilege to cast light on the convulsion in my country through a series of questions.
Your comments
Comment sent via SMS
Musa Kusa should be giuen safe haven because he has done what Tariq Aziz could not do. Sensitive information that may accompany his defection may help speed up the removal of Gaddafi. Peter Ibi. Nigeria.
Comment sent via Twitter
#Moussa #Koussa needs to be sent back. The West cannot keep allowing war criminals to take refuge in our societies.
Comment sent via SMS
Pls. GBAGBO, STEP DOWN SO THAT IVORY COAST WILL BE SAVE, ANTHONY YEAKPALAH-LIBERIA
Comment sent via SMS
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD IT BEEN THAT THE PRO OUTARA DON鈥橳 HAVE THE NEW ARMED FORCES? MAXWELL IN MALAWI.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Zwidomash tweets: Alassane Outtarra waited for Obama and company to stop the blood shed in Ivory coast, nothing came forth, so they doing it themselves.
Comment sent via SMS
All those who are defecting from Gadafi should join the rebels. Gbagbo & Gadafi are just the same they don鈥檛 know when say good bye. Billy in Zambia
Comment sent via SMS
Watara is to keep going strong with his own agenda and command his Forces for himself because the International Community are sleeping Mohamed Bawa F Town
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Medicins Sans Frontieres tweets: Like the population, the medical staff is running...most of the health structures are empty.
Comment sent via SMS
The advance on abidjan by pro wattara forces is timely i hope this move will serve as a deterent to all African dictators from Abdulai jalloh in Guinea
Comment sent via Facebook
Daniel in Ghana posts: if the west intervenes in ivory coast and things go wrong, the same people will turn around and blame the west.
Comment sent via SMS
I鈥檓 Bello Mustapha from Nigeria. Bagbo will definiately go off power, but it鈥檚 be slow.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Joelle ET tweets: The end is coming. All, please remember we were brothers and sisters before this whole mess started.It's time to reunite.
Comment sent via SMS
Mr Gbagbo, if your army chief is now a refugee in a south African embassy, while don鈥檛 you do the same to avoid further lost of lives and property of your countrymen? Peter Ibi, Nasarawa state, Nigeria.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Carl Bildt tweets: Ivory Coast needs our attention as well. Ggagbo must understand that he will be held accountable for crimes committed against civilians.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Fool Injusto tweets: Ivory Coast, is it going to be another Rwanda and the world will pretend to look the other way. Oh how morally destitute we are.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
PJ Crowley tweets: There's still fight ahead for Abidjan, but patient strategy in support of democratic change in #IvoryCoast will soon pay off
Comment sent via Facebook
Tobias posts: How the situation in Ivory Coast has unfolded shows the dithering and unsure feet of the AU. Hopefully the New Forces can make a quick job of Gbagbo's soldiers, seize him and put him on trial for treason.
Comment sent via SMS
Gbagbo deserved what he will get at the end of the fight in the city he should have left after eleven years in power,god save the inocent ivorians.from a -missing Fragment-
Comment sent via host
We''ve moving on to talk about Ivory Coast now. You can post your comments here.
Comment sent via Facebook
Benyamin in the US posts on Facebook: I think Moussa Koussa's defection could be a signal of the future of the Ghadaffi Regime, here in the US our news channels have called him Ghadaffi's right hand man and I just hope that the rest of his officials take the hint that the axe will fall on the regime and the Libyan Freedom Fighters will prevail.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Robin Grime tweets: Has anyone thought Moussa Koussa could be a double agent?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Tom Bradby tweets: Moussa Koussa's arrival here is an incredible intelligence coup and, potentially, a long term political problem.
Comment sent via Facebook
Imanga posts: Gaddafi's regime is kicking the kicks of a dying horse
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Moussa Koussa will test Cameron's nerve, blogs @benedictbrogan