Chaos in the Ivory Coast: 5 key questions

A bloody standoff between forces loyal to ousted President Laurent Gbagbo and U.N.-backed Alassane Ouattara stoke fears of civil war in the west African country

Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's president-elect Alassane Ouattara rest on Saturday, before battling forces aligned with former president Laurent Gbagbo.
(Image credit: Corbis)

The Ivory Coast may descend into civil war once again, as former President Laurent Gbagbo refuses to surrender to the U.N.-backed forces of Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo, the dictatorial leader of the country for the past 11 years, lost a democratic election to Ouattara in November, but refused to cede power. Fighting has escalated ever since, culminating in airstrikes earlier this week by U.N. and French forces on Gbagbo's bases and arms stockpiles. Soldiers loyal to Ouattara are laying siege to the capital city of Abidjan in a final effort to oust Gbagbo. Here, the five key questions about the standoff:

1. Is this another episode of the "Arab spring"?

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