U.N. helicopter shot at over Ivory Coast

(CNN) — A United Nations helicopter was shot at Monday while on a reconnaissance flight over Ivory Coast, the U.N. said Tuesday.

The U.N. operation in the nation blamed the Republican Forces of Cote d’Ivoire for firing the shots, which they said did not reach the helicopter. It was flying over Duekoue, Ivory Coast, at the time, the U.N. said.

In a statement, the U.N. condemned the action as a war crime and urged authorities to identify those responsible.

The U.N. is serving in a peacekeeper role in the nation, which has been wracked by violence and is sliding toward civil war following a November election. The international community has widely recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner and legitimate leader of the west African nation, but President Laurent Gbagbo has refused to cede power, with the stalemate resulting in uncertainty and bloodshed.

The Republican Forces of Cote d’Ivoire back Ouattara.

Earlier this month, at least 25 people were killed in what the U.N. condemned as a shocking escalation in violence. France, Ivory Coast’s former colonial rule, called it a “deliberate massacre of civilians” and called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt sanctions against Gbagbo and his circle, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.