Ivory Coast's rival leaders battle for Abidjan - in pictures

1 April: Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the man widely recognised as the new president of Ivory Coast, ride on the back of a lorry as they prepare to advance into Abidjan Photograph: Emmanuel Braun/Reuters

1 April: Militants loyal to the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, drive along a street in Abidjan Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features

1 April: Pro-Gbagbo militiamen from the Young Patriots fight with forces loyal to Ouattara in the Plateau district in Abidjan Photograph: Jean-philippe Ksiazek/AFP/Getty Images

1 April: French military mission soldiers in Ivory Coast patrol a street Photograph: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images

1 April: Pro-Gbagbo militiamen from the Young Patriots fight with forces loyal to Ouattara in the Plateau district of Abidjan Photograph: Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP/Getty Images

1 April: Pro-Gbagbo militants driving in Abidjan Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA /Rex Features

1 April: Forces loyal to Ouattara rest about 12 miles north of Abidjan Photograph: Emmanuel Braun/Reuters

1 April: UN armoured vehicles evacuate civilians in the Plateau district of Abidjan Photograph: Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP/Getty Images

2 April: Forces loyal to Ouattara prepare to head to the frontline in Abidjan Photograph: Emmanuel Braun/Reuters

2 April: Members of a violent youth militia loyal to Gbagbo march down a street in the central Plateau neighbourhood in Abidjan Photograph: Emanuel Ekra/AP

2 April: French armoured vehicles patrol in Abidjan Photograph: SCH Blanchet/ ECPAD/Reuters

3 April: Youth supporters of Gbagbo take boats to the presidential palace to defend their leader Photograph: Luc Gnago/Reuters

3 April: Civilians fleeing the violence walk along a road in Guiglo, western Ivory Coast Photograph: Zoom Dosso/AFP/Getty Images

4 April: Gbagbo's spokesman and adviser, Toussaint Alain (left), and legal representative, the controversial French lawyer Jacques Vèrges, address a press conference in Paris Photograph: Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images

4 April: Forces loyal to Gbagbo patrol on the Ébrié lagoon in Abidjan Photograph: Legnan Koula/EPA

4 April: Fire and smoke rise from the Akouedo military camp in Abidjan after United Nations helicopters fired on the base occupied by troops loyal to Gbagbo Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

4 April: Explosions at a military camp during an attack by UN and French armed forces in Treichville, Abidjan Photograph: Luc Gnago/Reuters

5 April: A soldier loyal to Ouattara takes cover under a road barrier as fighting flares across Abidjan Photograph: Emmanuel Braun/Reuters

5 April: A woman walks past soldiers loyal to Ouattara at a checkpoint at one of the main entrances to Abidjan Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

5 April: Residents walk past a burnt-out car on their way to the Abobo district from the Deux Plateaux district of Abidjan Photograph: Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images

5 April: Pro-Ouattara fighters of the FRCI (Republican Force of Ivory Coast), one of them wearing a gas mask, prepare for a 'final' assault in front of the Golf hotel in Abidjan Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

5 April: Ivorian civilians flee the city centre after a night of bombardment near their homes in Abidjan Photograph: Legnan Koula/EPA

5 April: The bodies of alleged Gbagbo militiamen lie along the highway in the Youpougon neighbourhood, near a checkpoint at one of the principal entrances to Abidjan Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

5 April: French armoured personnel carriers cross the General de Gaulle bridge in Abidjan Photograph: Luc Gnago/Reuters

5 April: A fighter loyal to Ouattara watches a tank burn after heavy fighting in Abidjan Photograph: Emmanuel Braun /Reuters

6 April: A man captured by forces loyal to Ouattara and detained for unknown reasons pleads his innocence at a checkpoint serving as an operating base near a main entrance to Abidjan Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

6 April: A soldier fighting for Ouattara points a weapon as he prepares for an assault on the Gbagbo residence in Abidjan Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

6 April: Soldiers loyal to Ouattara head off for battle as they deploy from a checkpoint at one of the principal entrances to Abidjan Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP