Women 'shot’ during pro-Ouattara march in Ivory Coast

Ouattara is recognised by the UN as the winner of November's election, but Laurent Gbagbo has refused to concede power.

The shooting took place in Abobo, a pro-Ouattara stronghold which has seen violent clashes for more than a week. Recent unrest has prompted the UN to warn of a return to civil war.

"Men in uniform drove up and started shooting randomly," Idrissa Diarrassouba, a resident in Abobo, told a news agency.

The women belonged to Ouattara's political alliance, the RHDP.

The UN says around 200,000 people have fled the Abobo district over the past few weeks.

On Wednesday, international radio stations were taken off air without explanation. Electricity and water were then cut off to northern Ivory Coast - a region traditionally opposed to Gbagbo.

In an official statement, the electricity company has denied any responsibility for the electricity cuts, saying they are a direct result of armed men taking control of their distribution centre on Monday.

Gbagbo's government has blamed technical difficulties for the fault, saying they cannot import spare parts because of the European Union embargo on the country's ports.

Supporters of Ouattara, who still remains under blockade at a hotel in Abidjan despite his widely-recognised election victory, say the cuts are crimes against humanity.