ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — A United Nations helicopter fired at strongman Laurent Gbagbo’s forces on Monday as France authorized its military to take out his heavy weapons, an unprecedented escalation in the international community’s efforts to oust the entrenched leader.
The office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki- Moon had requested France’s military participation.
Gbagbo lost presidential elections in November but has refused to cede power to Alassane Ouattara even as the world’s largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war.
The two men have vied for the presidency for months, with Ouattara using his considerable international clout to financially and diplomatically suffocate Gbagbo.
Forces backing Ouattara launched a dramatic offensive last week, seizing control of the administrative capital and other towns before heading toward Abidjan.
On Monday, the U.N. helicopter fired on Gbagbo’s troops to prevent them from using heavy weapons at the Akouedo camp in Abidjan, said Nick Birnback, spokesman for the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The military base houses Gbagbo’s arsenal.
Meanwhile, fighters backing Ouattara entered Abidjan by the truckload Monday as part of a final offensive to take the last piece of the West African country still largely controlled by Gbagbo.
