French troops face mob violence in Ivory Coast

French armoured vehicles took up positions near Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo’s home today prompting thousands of his angry supporters, fearing an overthrow attempt, to march to the scene.

The heads of the Ivory Coast and the French mission militaries appeared jointly on state TV to appeal in the West African nation for calm as French troops fired warning shots to ward off angry throngs filling the streets around Gbagbo’s home in Abidjan.