Rebels from Ivory Coast shunned peace talks in South Africa as hundreds more foreigners left the former French colony today after days of mob violence.
The unrest began last week after President Laurent Gbagbo's forces shattered an 18-month ceasefire by bombing the north of the west African country, seized by rebel soldiers in 2002 when they failed in a coup attempt.
After Ivorian forces killed nine peacekeepers in a bombing raid on a French base last Saturday, France crippled the state's air force, triggering violence against French citizens and other foreigners, including rapes, machete attacks and looting by Ivorian youths.
Nigeria will host an emergency summit on Sunday of regional leaders, alarmed the violence could spread across volatile West Africa.
Nigeria said Mr Gbagbo was down to attend but aides in Abidjan said they did not think he would be there.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has been meeting Ivorian opposition groups in Pretoria to find a solution to the crisis.
But the rebel New Forces said they had no interest in talks unless the agenda was an immediate future without Mr Gbagbo running the world's top cocoa grower, seen as a model of progress after independence in 1960 but plagued by instability in recent years.
"In deciding to restart the war unilaterally, he acted against not just the New Forces and France but also against the whole international community," a spokesman said.
"He violated an agreement with the entire world. He's become a real problem for reconciliation."
South African Foreign Minister Ms Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said she hoped the rebels would be involved in talks "in due course".