GENEVA, Switzerland, March 2 (UPI) -- Vulnerable citizens in the Ivory Coast are unable to flee conflict areas because of pressure from armed groups, the U.N. refugee agency said.
Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said armed groups are preventing people from leaving certain parts of Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast.
"UNHCR's monitoring teams have heard other reports of people being prevented from leaving the areas of fighting," she said in a statement. "Some families had been forced to hand over money or personal possessions to be allowed to leave."
Forces loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo continue pressuring U.N. peacekeepers in the region. U.N. leaders have warned a political stalemate there is on the brink of civil war.
Gbagbo refuses to step down despite a U.N. Security Council resolution backing Alassane Ouattara as the winner of a November presidential election.
Bank machines are reportedly out of cash in part because of international sanctions imposed on Gbagbo.
Several newspapers were closed in the country this week. All were opposed to Gbagbo's tenure.
