Rebels and the main opposition party pulled out of Ivory Coast’s power-sharing government Thursday after 25 people died in deadly clashes between security forces and opposition supporters, who marched in defiance of a government ban. The street skirmishes were the bloodiest to hit this West African nation’s commercial capital since a failed September 2002 coup bid split the country in two. Among the dead were two police and 12 civilians killed by protesters armed with machetes, Abidjan Police Chief Yapo Kouassi told reporters. Security forces struggling to maintain order shot dead several others, he said, giving no details. Amid the violence, Air France suspended flights to the country, and the French Foreign Ministry called on all parties to show restraint. There are about 4,000 French soldiers in the Ivory Coast. Full Story
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