ABIDJAN, Dec 6 (AFP) - The streets of Abidjan were calm Wednesday
morning,
after two days of political and ethnic violence in which up to 30 people
have
been killed and over 200 injured.
   The sound of gunfire and tear-gas canisters could be heard overnight in
working-class suburbs of the country's main city, as police hunted down
supporters of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara.
   Interior Minister Emile Boga Doudou told AFP Wednesday morning that the
situation was "completely calm" across the country, and that overnight
incidents were linked to the enforcing of the curfew imposed on Monday.
   A representative of the Ivorian Human Rights Movement said security
forces
had set fire to shops in Adjame and Abobo in the north of the city, and that
soldiers had arrested "entire families" before taking them to an unknown
destination.
   An AFP journalist saw a corpse in front of a burnt-out auto scrapyard in
Adjame district, where there was a heavy security presence. Local residents
spoke of many arrests.
   Tens of thousands of Ouattara's supporters took to the streets Monday,
clashing with police, troops and pro-government youth activists in fury at a
Supreme Court decision to bar their leader from general elections on Sunday.
   The violence took on an ethnic character as mainly northern Muslim
supporters of Ouattara fought police and supporters of new President Laurent
Gbagbo, who is a Christian and comes from the south, the country's
traditional
powerbase.
   The United Nations has pulled out of the Ivory Coast elections in
reaction
to the ban on Ouattara taking part.
   Ouattara, a former prime minister and leader of the Rally of Republicans
(RDR), was barred from running in presidential elections in October.
   The government says at least 13 people have been killed since Monday,
while
the RDR claims least 30 had been killed since midday Tuesday.
   The Ivorian Red Cross said late Tuesday that 217 people had been wounded
in
the two days of clashes.
   Ethnic and political tensions have been running high in this country
since
its first military coup in December last year. Before then, Ivory Coast was
seen as one of the most stable countries in Africa.
   The country has been in a state of emergency since Monday.
   il-so/kc/ss
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