French army troops man a roadblock between the city and the airport of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Wednesday Nov. 10, 2004. France and the United Nations launched evacuations Wednesday of thousands of French and other expatriates trapped at U.N. offices and a French military base amid days of anti-foreigner rampages in Ivory Coast's largest city, French and U.N. officials said.
French citizens camping out inside the airport of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2004, await special evacuation flights arranged by the French government.
An injured Ivory Coast protester lies on a hospital bed after being treated by doctors in a hospital in Abidjan Ivory Coast, Tueday Nov. 9, 2004. French forces opened fire Tuesday as thousands of angry loyalists massed outside an evacuation post for foreigners, witnesses said. A hospital reported seven people killed and 200 wounded in a fourth day of chaotic violence, pitting France against its former prize colony.
Three dead Ivory Coast protesters lie on the ground covered by the Ivory Coast flag in front of a hospital in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Tuesday Nov. 9, 2004.
Pro-government demonstrators protest in front of Hotel Ivoire in the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan on Tuesday Nov.9, 2004. They are holding up a mock coffin inscribed "Chirac Assassin".
A worker shovels up dried cocoa, ready to be put into into sacks for export, in western Ivory Coast Tuesday, April 6, 2004. Competition over land to grow cocoa, is fueling a cycle of ethnic violence in Ivory Coast, the world's largest producer, where 40 percent of global supply is harvested. Violence in Ivory Coast has shut down cocoa exports, closing ports that ship more than 40 percent of the world's raw material for chocolate.
French troops watch pro-government demonstrators in front of the commandeered Hotel Ivoire in the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2004. South African President Thabo Mbeki flew to Ivory Coast Tuesday to launch an African effort to rein in chaos amid four days of sudden mob and government confrontations with French troops that have wounded hundreds and left at least 20 dead.
The Ivory Coast's U.N. Ambassador Philippe Djangone-Bi speaks during a news confence at UN headquarters Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2004.
A mob on Thursday backs a government military offensive that resulted in an attack on French and U.N. peacekeepers. In response, the French destroyed Ivory Coast's air force and seized its airports.
Pro government demonstrators shout out their anti-French sentiments at a roadblock on the outskirts of the city of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Monday Nov. 8, 2004. Reportedly, French armored vehicles took up positions near President Laurent Gbagbo's home Monday and thousands of his angry supporters marched on the site, fearing an overthrow attempt as French forces clamped down on deadly violence in the former West African colony.
Pope John Paul II delivers the Angelus prayer from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2004. Amid renewed violence in Ivory Coast, Pope John Paul II called for dialogue and peace in the former French colony.
Paper covers the main street of the Ivory Coast town of Yamoussoukro after looting took place throughout the day on Sunday, Nov.7, 2004. Machete-waving mobs, thousands strong, looted and burned in Ivory Coast's largest cities Sunday, laying siege to a French military base and searching house to house for French families after a day of ground and air clashes between forces of France and its former colony.
French armored vehicles observe pro-government demonstrators on the outskirts of the city of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Monday, Nov. 8, 2004.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Ivory Coast at UN headquarters Saturday, Nov. 6, 2004.
Ivorian rebel leader Guillaume Soro wipes his brow as he speaks at a public meeting in Korhogo, northern Ivory Coast, in this April 20, 2004, file photo. Soro announced a state of emergency in northern Ivory Coast on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004, accusing the government of massing troops near rebel positions in the west and saying fighting would erupt soon.