Ivory Coast crisis

ABIDJAN - Ivory Coast was in political turmoil yesterday after rivals for the presidency each named their own prime ministers, while international mediators tried to settle the standoff amid fears of civil war.

Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and his old rival Alassane Ouattara have both sworn themselves in as president and each pressed on as if he was in charge despite mediation by South Africa's former president Thabo Mbeki.

Gbagbo, 65, has defied international calls to cede power after the UN recognised Ouattara as the winner of the November 28 runoff vote, which was supposed to stabilise the country, but has been marred by deadlyviolence.

But after Mbeki, sent by the African Union (AU), held emergency talks with the two men on Sunday, Ouattara upped the ante. He called on Mbeki to demand Gbagbo to quit. Gbagbo later issued a rival presidential decree, naming Gilbert Marie N'gbo Ake as his prime minister.

An AU source said Mbeki stayed in Abidjan on Sunday night for further meetings.

Hundreds of people fearing violence meanwhile began crossing west from parts of Ivory Coast controlled by Ouattara's supporters into neighbouring Liberia, an official there said.

Despite an earlier order by Gbagbo for Ivory Coast's borders to be sealed, "there are more than 300 Ivorians who have already crossed the borders into Liberia", the top Liberian official for refugees, Saah Nyumah, said.

Nyumah warned of impending food shortages if the numbers increased.

Ouattara said after talks with Mbeki: "I asked him to ask Laurent Gbagbo not to hang onto power ... to quit power, as you should when you lose an election."

The political crisis "is obviously very serious. Among other things, it's important not to have violence, not to return to war and so on, to find a peaceful solution", Mbeki said.