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    ABIDJAN, Jan. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Street violence rattled Cote d'Ivoire for a fourth day on Thursday as many protesters continued to man roadblocks in the main city Abidjan, demanding UN peacekeepers be punished for killing four protesters in a firefight.

Thousands of youths took to streets from Monday to protest against international mediators' call to dissolve the parliament.

    Around 500 youths were still protesting outside the UN headquarters in the city, but they were fewer than in previous days and had so far resisted from breaking into the building as had been attempted earlier this week.

    In downtown Abidjan, many protesters continued to stop traffic with roadblocks constructed from debris.

    Most shops, schools and banks remained closed in the city center although life began returning to normal in some outlying areas after President Laurent Gbagbo appealed to his supporters to leave the streets and return to their jobs on Wednesday.

    Hundreds of Gbagbo loyalists asking UN and French peacekeeping troops to leave the country have attacked UN bases, residences and vehicles across the government-controlled south since Monday.

    Four Ivorians were killed on Wednesday when they clashed with Bangladeshi troops in the western town of Guiglo, UN officials said. The state media said five were killed.

    The violence erupted after foreign mediators recommended that the mandate of the parliament which expired on Dec. 16 not be renewed. Angry Gbagbo supporters denounced this as foreign meddling since the parliament is filled with the president's allies.

Thousands of youths took to streets from Monday to protest against international mediators' call to dissolve the parliament.

    Cote d'Ivoire has been split into a government-controlled south and rebel-controlled north since civil war in 2002.

    A string of peace deals have failed to unite the West African country and the presidential and parliamentary elections due last October were postponed.

    The new violence has threatened the fragile ceasefire, maintained by nearly 7,000 UN peacekeepers and 4,000 French soldiers since 2003.

    There have been no reports of riots from the rebel-held north so far. Enditem