ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The leader of U.N. peacekeepers posted in Ivory Coast said he will ask for an additional 1,000 to 2,000 troops as the country's political crisis worsens.
Alain Le Roy, the U.N. peacekeeping chief in Ivory Coast, said he plans to make the request to the U.N. Security Council within the next few days and hopes the troops will be available within the next several weeks, the BBC reported Thursday.
Peacekeepers have been protecting an Abidjan hotel where Alassane Ouattara, recognized internationally as the new president, has been living. Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo has refused to cede power.
A blockade remains around the hotel despite African mediators reporting earlier this week Gbagbo agreed to lift it, the BBC reported.
An estimated 10,000 U.N. troops already are in Ivory Coast.
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