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Abidjan resident, Yann: "I heard a lot of gunfire and explosions"
Troops supporting the UN-recognised president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, appear poised for a final push to oust his rival, Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to give up the presidency.
In the main city, Abidjan, pro-Ouattara forces have launched an assault on the fortified presidential residence.French troops have taken about 500 foreigners to a military camp amid increasing insecurity in the city.
Mr Ouattara's supporters launched a fresh offensive on Monday.
Mr Ouattara was internationally recognised as president last year, after the electoral commission declared him the winner of a November run-off election, but Mr Gbagbo also claimed victory.
'Mortar fire' The BBC's John James in the central city of Bouake says this looks like the final hours for Laurent Gbagbo's government.
There is heavy fighting in the area around the presidential residence. "I can still hear heavy gunfire and loud thud of mortar fire," a resident told the BBC.
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Even if Laurent Gbagbo decides to flee, some of his militant supporters, known as the Young Patriots, have been given weapons and have been repeatedly told that Alassane Ouattara and his supporters are not true Ivorians. They could decide to fight on.
Equally, there are ill-disciplined pro-Ouattara armed groups operating in the city.
Abidjan is a patchwork of areas, each controlled by different groups. UN peacekeepers and French troops have deployed into strategic points around the city in order to protect civilians.
But if street battles break out, with militants attacking each other and civilians from groups seen as allied to the other side, UN peacekeepers will struggle to live up to their mandate.
Analysis
There is the real danger of a bloodbath in Abidjan, a city of five million people.Even if Laurent Gbagbo decides to flee, some of his militant supporters, known as the Young Patriots, have been given weapons and have been repeatedly told that Alassane Ouattara and his supporters are not true Ivorians. They could decide to fight on.
Equally, there are ill-disciplined pro-Ouattara armed groups operating in the city.
Abidjan is a patchwork of areas, each controlled by different groups. UN peacekeepers and French troops have deployed into strategic points around the city in order to protect civilians.
But if street battles break out, with militants attacking each other and civilians from groups seen as allied to the other side, UN peacekeepers will struggle to live up to their mandate.
A military source close to the Gbagbo camp told Reuters news agency that pro-Ouattara forces were attacking the compound, adding that the Republican Guard and militiamen were fighting back.
A plume of smoke has been seen rising from the residence, which is located on a peninsula in Abidjan's lagoon.Mr Gbagbo has not been seen in public for weeks. It is not clear whether he is at the compound.
A spokesman, Abdon Georges Bayeto, told the BBC: "The president is not going to step down. He's been elected for five years and we are going to put up a fight."
French forces say they have taken about 500 foreigners, including 150 French nationals, to a military camp after they were threatened by looters in Abidjan.
"There is a security vacuum and that has opened the way for looters to roam the streets," French military spokesman Thierry Burkhard told Reuters news agency.
A Swedish woman working for the UN in Abidjan was killed by gunfire at her home late on Thursday.
UN and French peacekeepers have taken control of Abidjan's international airport.
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Ivory Coast: Battle for power
- World's largest cocoa producer
- Once haven of peace and prosperity in West Africa
- Alassane Ouattara recognised as president-elect in 2010
- International sanctions imposed to force Laurent Gbagbo to go
- 473 killed, one million fled since disputed election
- 9,000 UN peacekeepers monitor 2003 ceasefire
Mr Ouattara's government has said Ivory Coast's land, sea and air borders had been closed until further notice. It also declared that there would be a curfew from 2100 GMT to 0600 GMT in Abidjan until Sunday.
Mr Gbagbo has refused to relinquish the presidency since November's election.But the national army has put up almost no resistance since the start of the offensive by Mr Ouattara's supporters, who are now believed to control about 80% of the country.
The United Nations human rights office urged Mr Ouattara to rein in his forces, citing allegations of abductions and attacks on civilians.
"We are receiving unconfirmed but worrying reports that [pro-Ouattara forces] have been committing human rights violations during their advance towards Abidjan," said Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN Commissioner for Human Rights.
He added that there were also reports of Mr Gbagbo's forces killing civilians, and noted that the International Criminal Tribunal was monitoring events in Ivory Coast.
Lightning advance Many senior military officers, including army chief Gen Phillippe Mangou, as well as thousands of soldiers and police, have abandoned Mr Gbagbo.
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Alassane Ouattara: "Today they are at the doorstep of Abidjan"
On Friday the African Union renewed its call on Mr Gbagbo to stand down.
The UN, which helped organise last year's election, certified Mr Ouattara's win as legitimate. But Mr Gbagbo claimed the presidency after the Constitutional Council overturned Mr Ouattara's victory.
The forces supporting Mr Ouattara have made lightning advances since Monday, moving out from their base in the north. On Wednesday, they captured the capital, Yamoussoukro, and the key port of San Pedro.
Sanctions and a halt to cocoa exports in what is the world's biggest producer of cocoa beans have brought West Africa's second-biggest economy to its knees, with banks closed for more than a month.
An armed rebellion in 2002 split the nation in two - a division the elections were meant to heal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12929625