'Deadly shelling' in Ivory Coast

The reports are indicating that at least 25 dead so far. Two shells landed in a market in the Abobo area, residents reportedly said. The shells were fired by Gbagbo's troops, according to the UN.

A UN spokesman said a team that went to Abobo "could see that the armed forces of President Laurent Gbagbo fired at least six missiles on the market and surrounds". AFP reports that Hamadane Toure said the shells killed 25 to 30 people and had injured between 40 and 60.

He said the UN expressed its "indignation in the face of such atrocities against innocent civilians" and vowed that the "perpetrators will not go unpunished".

There are also reports that pro-Ouattara militiamen have attacked a police station elsewhere in Abidjan.

So far, some 370,000 people fled recent clashes in Abidjan - many from Abobo, the region that most backs Alassane Ouattara, Gbagbo's presidential rival.

Gbagbo loyalists have been accused of atrocities against his rivals' backers, following Ouattara being widely recognised as the winner of last year's elections.

The UN says that 410 people have been killed since the November election.

The African Union has given Gbagbo until 24 March to organise a handover of power but he shows no signs of stepping down. International sanctions have been imposed on Gbagbo's allies in a bid to force him from power.

The election was supposed to reunify the country, which has been divided since a 2002-3 conflict.

Pro-Ouattara forces control the north of the country and many fear that a civil war could resume.

The New Forces rebels have mainly stayed on their side of the ceasefire line but they have seized some ground in the west.

Ivory Coast used to enjoy the highest living standards in West Africa and the world's biggest cocoa producer was seen as a haven of stability in the troubled region.