Final stage of Ivory Coast’s political crisis?

(CNN) — Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara took control of state-run television and attacked the residence of Laurent Gbagbo Friday as Ivory Coast’s battle for political power raged in what appeared to be the final stages.

Gunfire and explosions erupted in Abidjan, the commercial center and largest city, as French and United Nations troops beefed up their presence on the streets to fill a security vacuum.

The whereabouts of Gbagbo, who refused to cede power after a disputed November election, were not known. The French ambassador to Ivory Coast said on France Info radio that Gbagbo’s residence was empty.

Ouattara, the internationally recognized president, had been confined to a United Nations-protected hotel in Abidjan. Gabgbo’s siege on the hotel ended Thursday after pro-Ouattara forces carried a nationwide offensive to Abidjan.

The African Union called again on Gbagbo Friday “to immediately hand over power.”

“Gbagbo’s days are numbered because he overstayed his welcome,” Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told CNN, who has served as the Union’s main negotiator in Ivory Coast’s political crisis. “The will of the Ivorian people must finally prevail.”

Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achio said their forces took control of state-run RTI, which had been a powerful voice for Gbagbo in the months of the political stalemate.

The takeover occurred less than three hours after a Gbagbo spokesman appeared on the same network, declaring that Gbagbo had no intention of leaving the presidential palace, according to a witness who saw the broadcast. Ggabgo’s personal residence is separate from the palace.

Friday the network, accused of having incited post-election violence, was silent, its website dark.

An Abidjan resident told CNN that most of the city’s 4 million residents were huddled inside their homes with no access to information now that national broadcasting was off the air. The resident was not identified because of security reasons.

A Swedish employee of the United Nations was killed in Thursday’s fighting in Abidjan, said Joakim Larsson, a spokesman at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“She was in her home when she was hit by a bullet which killed her,” Larsson said.

Ouattara on Thursday declared a curfew — in effect until Sunday — in Abidjan as forces loyal to him moved closer to taking control of the city. Ouattara’s interior minister also announced on radio that the air and sea borders of the country would be sealed until further notice.

The curfew, however, did not seem to be universally recognized as Abidjan residents reported hearing sounds of heavy gunfire Thursday night.

Achi told CNN earlier Thursday that rebel forces were patrolling some streets of Abidjan and were fast closing in on Gbagbo.

It will be only “hours, maybe days” before Gbagbo falls, Achi predicted. “The army does not want to fight for Laurent Gbagbo.”

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reported an exodus of residents of Abidjan on Thursday. Four months of fighting has already displaced more than 1 million people from their homes in Abidjan, according to the refugee agency.

“Heavy fighting, widespread human rights abuses and fear of war have already forced up to 1 million people to flee their homes in Abidjan,” the report said.

Human rights monitors have documented the deaths of 462 people — some in heinous fashion — and warned Abidjan is on the brink of catastrophe.

“The international community must take immediate steps to protect the civilian population,” said Salvatore Sagues, Amnesty International’s researcher on West Africa.

Republican Forces wrested control of much of the capital, Yamoussoukro, and other key cocoa-producing and port cities earlier in the week before marching to Abidjan, the commercial center of Ivory Coast.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights reported Friday that the agency had received “unconfirmed but worrying reports” that Republican Forces have been committing human rights violations in their advance to Abidjan, especially in the Guiglo and Daloa areas in western Ivory Coast. Among the complaints were arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment of civilians.

Similar abuse accustations have been leveled at Gbagbo’s men in Abidjan, the agency said.

Concerned about the rising tide of violence, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Wednesday to impose sanctions on Gbagbo, his wife and three associates, as well as give U.N. peacekeepers more authority to protect civilians.

The U.N. resolution demands that Gbagbo step down immediately and that all state institutions, including the military, accept Ouattara as president. It also authorizes U.N. peacekeepers “to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of violence.”

CNN’s Zain Verjee, Carey Bodenheimer, Monica Mark, Aliza Kassim, Christabelle Fombu, Moni Basu and Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report.