Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Troops supporting Outtara called Friday’s attacks a “final assault” on Gbagbo and his loyalists. 

"It may still take days," one soldier said. "But we are going to see this through. There is no retreat, no way." 

"Don't just shoot anywhere. Don't go pillaging, that doesn't help us. It is our country and we are going to save it. Let's not add to the misery of the Ivorians," the soldier continued. "We are not rebels any more. We are the real army."

Ouattara supporters marched on the presidential palace and the home area of incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, who lost in the country’s presidential elections last November. Gbagbo has been in power for 10 years, five years longer than Ivory Coast’s consitution allows.

From Voice of America:

While pro-Ouattara troops moved quickly to capture the capital Yamoussoukro and the port of San Pedro, Gbagbo appears to have far-more-determined defenders in Abidjan, despite the defection of army chief of staff, Philippe Mangou, who has sought refuge with his wife and children in the home of the South African ambassador.

Artillery and rocket-propelled grenades in Abidjan are some of the heaviest fighting of a crisis that began four months ago when Gbagbo refused to accept electoral commission results certified by the United Nations that showed Ouattara won the vote.

Ouattara is calling on members of the Gbagbo military to join his fighters, saying it is time to put themselves at the disposal of the country and return to legality.

The U.N. High Commission for Human Rights is urging both sides to respect the rights of civilians, saying it has reports of abuses by pro-Ouattara forces in western provinces near the Liberian border and reports of abuses by pro-Gbagbo troops in Abidjan.