The first recognised ambassador of Ivory Coast's internationally-backed president Alassane Ouattara says United Nations has to act to prevent ‘genocide’ in his country.
The envoy, Youssoufou Bamba, made the plea after handing over his credentials to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Mr Ban promised the UN would co-operate fully with Alassane Ouattara's government. Mr Ouattara is in a tense standoff with Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to recognise the victory of his rival in Ivory Coast's 28 November presidential election.
The ambassador said Mr Ouattara had 'real concern' about attacks on his supporters.
According to UN rights officials, at least 173 people were killed in attacks between 16 and 21 December.
The victims were only killed 'because they wanted to demonstrate, they want to speak out, they want to defend the will of the people,' Mr Bamba told reporters.
'We are on the brink of genocide, something should be done.'
Mr Bamba said people's homes in some areas had been marked according to their tribe.
'What will be next? So the situation is very serious and I have put that message across in all the meetings I have had, including with the secretary general.'
'The protection of civilians is at the heart of peacekeeping and we expect the UN to fulfil its duties,' he said.
Thereare 9,500 UN troops in Ivory Coast - 800 are deployed around the Abidjan hotel where Mr Ouattara has his base.
Mr Ban made no comment on the Ivory Coast crisis when he formally accepted Mr Bamba's credentials in front of photographers at the UN headquarters.
But he assured the envoy 'of the full cooperation of the secretariat in meeting the challenges ahead.'
Mr Ban was briefed again yesterday by the UN mission in Ivory Coast on efforts to persuade Mr Gbagbo to peacefully stand down, his spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
The UN chief also held telephone talks with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, current chairman of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to intervene militarily if Mr Gbagbo does not quit.
Mr Bamba, who was previously ambassador for the Gbagbo government at the UN in Vienna, is the first ambassador named by the Mr Ouattara administration to have started work.
He hinted that he was not yet being paid, saying that as a career diplomat 'I have savings.'
