20110301
reuters

DJAN (Reuters) - Youth supporters of Ivory Coast's incumbent Laurent Gbagbo rampaged through the business district of Abidjan on Tuesday, pillaging shops owned by foreigners.

The violence followed a call on Friday by Ble Goude, the head of Gbagbo's youth wing, to resist what he called an insurgency seeking to depose Gbabgo and install rival Alassane Ouattara, winner of a November 28 poll according to U.N.-certified results.

Gbagbo's Young Patriots have long been notorious for xenophobic violence, including attacks against the country's French community in 2004, on its large Burkinabe and Malian communities and northern Ivorians with cultural ties to them.

Anti-foreigner sentiment is at the core of the troubles that have dogged Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower, for years and has worsened as most nations recognise Ouattara's win.

Ouattara was twice barred from running in previous polls because his father is from Burkina Faso.

"I don't understand what happened. The youths arrived ... and starting destroying the things in my shop. They looted everything and now I have nothing left," Senegalese shopkeeper Ismael Bah told a Reuters reporter.

"What did I do? I'm not involved in politics," he added.

Mobile phone retailer Mamadou Barro, also from Senegal, fell victim to a similar attack. "My whole shop is ruined. They stole everything. Everything I owned was invested in this business. Now it's gone," he said.