Ethnic and political violence left more than 30 people dead in Ivory Coast yesterday as socialist politician Mr Laurent Gbagbo was declared the winner of controversial presidential elections over objections by his rivals.
Mr Gbagbo was declared president by the country's Supreme Court in a ceremony at the presidential palace yesterday.
Supporters of former prime minister Mr Alassane Ouattara, who was excluded from Sunday's vote, battled supporters of Mr Gbagbo with clubs and machetes in the streets of Abidjan and other cities, demanding new elections.
Witnesses reported 36 people killed and more than 100 injured in the fighting in Abidjan alone, prompting the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to call for calm and a re-run of last Sunday's vote to prevent Ivory Coast descending into chaos.
But France, the former colonial power, implicitly accepted Mr Gbagbo as the country's new President after former military ruler Gen Robert Guei gave up attempts to have himself declared the winner.
The violence quickly took on a menacing ethnic aspect when opponents of Mr Ouattara, a Muslim from the north of the country, attacked several mosques. Stones were also thrown at a church and a priest's car was set on fire, the Abidjan diocese spokesman, Mr Augustin Obrou, said.
"Security forces have chosen to kill RDR militants who just wanted to demonstrate their opposition to a situation," said Mr Ali Coulibaly, spokesman for Mr Ouattara's Rally of Republicans (RDR) party.
The national electoral commission announced yesterday that Mr Gbagbo, head of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), had won the election with 59.36 per cent of votes, against 32.72 per cent for Gen Guei. A state of emergency was promptly reimposed and security forces were to be deployed across the nation.
Mr Ouattara is a Muslim. Mr Gbagbo comes from the mainly Christian south of the country, which has traditionally provided the nation's rulers.
In many areas police took the side of Mr Gbagbo's camp and attacked supporters of Mr Ouattara.
Mr Ouattara's house in Abidjan's Cocody district was the scene of violent clashes between RDR supporters and those of the FPI.
Mr Ouattara, who was barred by the Supreme Court from running for president following allegations he was not of full Ivorian nationality, sought refuge in the German ambassador's residence next to his home.
Speaking on behalf of the OAU, its chairman, Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema, called for a re-run of the vote and appealed for calm in Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast, the world's main cocoa producer, had long been considered one of Africa's most stable nations.