Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo will be held accountable for whatever happens in Abidjan, the United States said Thursday, as forces loyal to his rival surged into the economic capital. "If there is major violence in Abidjan and Gbagbo does not step aside, he and those around him, including his wife Simone Gbagbo, will have to be held accountable for the actions they failed to take to stop it," Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told reporters. "The international community will certainly hold him accountable, but he does have an opportunity, but this opportunity is slipping away." Alassane Ouattara has been recognized as the rightful leader of the Ivory Coast, but he has been unable to take power since being elected in November, leading to a bloody crisis that has left some 500 people dead. Abidjan residents, fearing a final showdown, locked themselves in their homes Thursday as Ouattara made a final plea to his rival's soldiers to change sides amid a reported rash of defections. "The US calls on parties to exercise restraint and make the protection of civilians their highest priority," Carson added. Pro-Ouattara fighters have in two days seized the political capital Yamoussoukro and the world's biggest cocoa exporting port of San Pedro, as the United Nations slapped fresh sanctions on Gbagbo and called for him to cede power, which he has held since 2000.
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