ABIDJAN, July 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The Cote d'Ivoire government declared on Sunday to have recovered the town of Agboville previously occupied by a group of unidentified gunmen.

   

The Cote d'Ivoire government forces heading for town of Agboville July 24, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

 A spokesman said that government forces retook the town through intense military action and now were hunting for the fleeing gunmen, but did not disclose casualties on either side.

    A local civilian told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that government reinforcements arrived in the town on Sunday afternoon and had a fierce battle with the group of gunmen.

    At around 22:00 local time (2200 GMT) on Saturday, the gunmen attacked the town of Anyama, north of the main coastal city of Abidjan, leading to five deaths and two injuries of government forces and four deaths among the attackers.

    Afterwards, the gunmen fled to neighboring Agboville, raiding apolice station and a military camp and taking control of the city.

    On Sunday, the Cote d'Ivoire government informed UN peacekeepers and French soldiers patrolling the country of the incident that "seriously violated the peace accord."

    On Sunday evening, UN peacekeepers condemned the two attacks and called on all parties involved to avoid taking any action that threatened the peace process and further deteriorated the situation.

    On their side, rebel leaders denied their involvement in the incidents in a statement released through their website.

    The country was split into government controlled south and rebel-held north in a failed coup in 2002, separated by a buffer zone patrolled by UN peacekeepers and French soldiers. Enditem