France appeals for Ivory Coast calm

FRENCH armoured vehicles took up positions near the home of Ivory Coast’s president yesterday, and thousands of his supporters marched on the site, fearing an attempt to oust him as France clamped down on violence in its former West African colony.

The commanders of Ivory Coast and French forces appealed on state television for the crowds to disperse.

More than 500 people have been wounded and an unknown number killed in a weekend of unrest, a Red Cross official said.