ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- U.N. peacekeepers in Ivory Coast were attacked Tuesday by a mob that set one of their vehicles on fire and slashed one soldier with a machete, officials said.
The attack occurred in Abidjan as the three-vehicle convoy with 22 U.N. peacekeepers was making its way back from the country's interior, the United Nations said in a release.
Further violence was headed off by the intervention of Gen. Philippe Mangou, the defense and security forces chief of staff, a statement by the United Nations Operation in Ivory Coast said.
The statement said the U.N. contingent "vigorously condemns this attack and reiterates its determination to pursue its work in the service of the Ivorian people."
The U.N. envoy in Ivory Coast met with the presidents of three West African states who were to deliver a message from regional leaders urging incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, who has garnered international recognition as the winner of last month's presidential election.
The U.N. refugee agency Tuesday said it has recorded more than 15,000 Ivorians fleeing into eastern Liberia, with reports of another 4,000 having arrived.
