20101207
RFI

West African bloc Ecowas on Tuesday suspended Côte d'Ivoire and called on incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to "yield power without delay."

It follows a call from the United Nations to begin evacuating non-essential staff.

"For now, we have suspended Cote d'Ivoire from all our activities," Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said following a special summit on Cote d'Ivoire's electoral crisis.

A statement said that "the summit called on Mr. Laurent Gbagbo to abide by the results of the second round of the presidential elections as certified ... and to yield power without delay in the best interest of the Ivorian people."

At least 20 people have been killed in Côte d'Ivoire in election-related violence since the disputed poll, Amnesty International said on Monday.

On Tuesday, the United Nations began evacuating non-essential staff from Côte d'Ivoire for fear of unrest in a political standoff after disputed elections.