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Two French soldiers hurt in Ivory Coast
( 2003-01-23 09:59 ) (7 )

Rebels hiding in the forests of western Ivory Coast attacked French forces patrolling nearby, triggering a battle that injured two soldiers and wounded or killed at least eight rebels, the French military said Wednesday.

Tuesday's attack near the western coastal town of Duekoue occurred despite a rebel cease-fire and talks on two continents trying to end the fourth-month civil war in the world's largest cocoa producer and a vital West African economic anchor.

France, Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler, has more than 2,500 soldiers in Ivory Coast trying to enforce the often-violated cease-fire.

Rebels hiding in the forest around Duekoue attacked French soldiers, said Lt. Col. Ange-Antoine Leccia, a French military spokesman in Ivory Coast.

It is estimated that between eight and 10 rebels were wounded or killed during the gunfight, Leccia said. The French said it was impossible to know the extent of rebel casualties because rebels typically gather their casualties quickly.

One French soldier had part of his left arm amputated, Leccia said. Neither man's injuries were life-threatening and both were evacuated to France at dawn Wednesday for further treatment, the spokesman said.

Ivory Coast's war began Sept. 19 with a failed coup attempt. Rebels immediately seized the northern half of the country and in November opened another front in the west.

Rebels are demanding that President Laurent Gbagbo resign, accusing him of fanning ethnic tensions. Gbagbo insists he will stay until 2005, the end of his term.

Western rebels signed a cease-fire allowing for calm while peace talks involving Ivory Coast's three rebel groups, the government and political parties play out in Paris.

Western Ivory Coast been the most active front in the war, which has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands more.