Six Women Killed in Ivory Coast Protest

Laurent Gbagbo’s crackdown on his opposition continues. At least six were killed when Gbagbo’s forces fired into a crowd of women protesting his reign. Ignoring calls to hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, the man the United Nations and most other countries say defeated him in the Ivory Coast’s election last year, Gbagbo is lashing out at protesters with increasing violence. His security forces have raided Ouattara-supporting neighborhoods, while what the U.N. calls “the invisible commando” has struck back against them. Gun battles last week in Abobo killed 26 people, and another 200,000 people have fled violence in the area.