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The UN Security Council (UNSC) has slapped sanctions on Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo due to his refusal to cede power to the president-elect Alassane Dramane Ouattara.

The UNSC unanimously voted to impose sanctions against Gbagbo on Wednesday in a bid to end the growing violence in Ivory Coast, the Associated Press reported.

The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes targeting Gbagbo, his wife, and three of his closest allies. This comes after pro-Ouattara forces seized control of the capital, Yamoussoukro.

The final draft of the Council's resolution urges an end to the violence against civilians and also requires all Ivorian parties to respect people's will of electing Ouattara as their president.

Meanwhile, the African Union has asked Ouattara to form a unity government with Gbagbo's political party members.

Laurent Gbagbo still holds the former capital, Abidjan, as his supporters continue to attack civilians in the largest city in the country.

Ivorian youth are reportedly being enlisted in the army to replace soldiers that have defected.

Gbagbo and his rival, Ouattara, have been locked in a standoff since the presidential elections in November.

On December 2, 2010, Ivory Coast's electoral commission announced that opposition candidate Ouattara won the nation's long-awaited presidential election with 54 percent of the vote.

However, the Constitutional Council immediately contested the result, citing the electoral commission's failure to declare the vote result by the appointed deadline.

Post-election violence has left hundreds of people dead. Up to one million people have fled their homes to escape the fighting.