Nearly 1 million flee Abidjan amid fears of war, U.N. says

(CNN) — Escalating violence and fears of war have forced nearly 1 million residents to flee Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday, with scores more uprooted across the country.

The west African nation has been embroiled in a political stalemate since incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to cede power after November elections.

Election officials and the international community consider rival Alassane Ouattara the rightful winner of the poll.

Post election clashes have left at least 462 dead since December, the United Nations said.

Up to 1 million people have fled populated suburbs in Abidjan alone, said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

“The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fueled by fears of all-out war,” Fleming said.

The latest exodus follows reports that thousands of youth have answered calls to join forces loyal to the incumbent leader, Fleming said.

There are also indications that mercenaries from neighboring Liberia are arriving in the country, according to the spokeswoman.

“Bus terminals are overcrowded with passengers desperate to get seats on vehicles heading to northern, central and eastern parts of the country where there has been no fighting so far,” she said.

Fleming said there are concerns that the fighting could spill over into Liberia, which is recovering after years of a bloody conflict.