Gbagbo supporters say they are defending a vote that rebels are trying to steal with the help of the United Nations and France. Gbagbo youth leader Charles Ble Goude said Gbagbo supporters are determined to resolve the political crisis peacefully.

Goude said Gbagbo supporters who take to the streets unarmed are not violent people. He said the assassins and murders in Abidjan are Ouattara supporters, who kill people right in front of United Nations peacekeepers.

Human Rights Watch said pro-Gbagbo militia and soldiers are engaged in a campaign of violence against Ouattara supporters that may constitute war crimes.

African Union efforts to resolve the dispute appear to have stalled over Ouattara's refusal to accept a former foreign minister from Cape Verde, who Ouattara said is too close to Gbagbo to serve as a neutral mediator.

Ouattara said he was surprised by the choice of former foreign minister Jose Brito and deeply regrets not being consulted about the decision. Gbagbo's government accepts the African Union appointment and said Ouattara is looking for a partisan referee.