UN says 3,200 flee Ivory Coast after violent clashes

The UN refugee agency says more than 3,200 people have fled Ivory Coast in the wake of violent clashes that have left at least a dozen people dead following its controversial presidential elections. UNHCR says some 2,600 refugees have streamed from the country's southwest into neighboring Liberia, while hundreds more have gone to Ghana.

"Most of the arrivals are women and children from Côte d'Ivoire's west and southwest regions," said Boris Cheshirkov, a UNHCR spokesman, at a regular U.N. briefing in Geneva, referring to the French-language name of Ivory Coast."The newly arrived include former Ivorian refugees who had recently repatriated and were forced to flee once again.""Many report fears of getting caughtup in the escalating violence," he added.

Ivory Coast's electoral commission said Tuesday that President Alassane Ouattara had overwhelmingly won a third term in office after his two main opponents boycotted the election and called his candidacy illegal.In a sign of mounting tensions over the vote, both opponents said their homes had come under gunfire overnight.

There have been widespread fears that post-election violence could erupt in Ivory Coast, where more than 3,000 people were killed a decade ago followed a disputed vote.Ouattara received 94.3% of the vote in Saturday's election, the commission said early Tuesday.Turnout was 53.9%, according to election officials, while the opposition has maintained only 10% of Ivorian voters took part.

(Image Credit: AP) 

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