(CNN) -- At an emergency meeting Friday, West African leaders warned they will not hesitate to use "legitimate force" if necessary to defuse an escalating crisis in Ivory Coast sparked by incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to cede power.
"In the event that Mr. Gbagbo fails to heed this immutable demand of ECOWAS, the Community would be left with no alternative but to take other measures, including the use of legitimate force, to achieve the goals of the Ivorian people," said a statement issued Friday by the 15-member Economic Community of West African States.
"Against the background of the parlous security situation, the heads of state and government hereby instruct the president of the ECOWAS Commission to convene without delay a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff in order to plan future actions, including the provision of security along the Côte d'Ivoire-Liberia border, in the event that their message is not heeded," the statement said.
The regional bloc, which has already urged Gbagbo to acknowledge the results of Ivory Coast's presidential election and hand over power to his challenger, Alassane Ouattara, met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Spokesman Patrick Achi said Ouattara hopes the West African leaders will be able to help end the turmoil. He accused Gbagbo of defying democratic ideals and instead embarking on new era of violence.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Ouattara thanked the international community for its support and urged Gbagbo to step down immediately, Achi said.
As Gbagbo continues to ignore the international outcry over his legitimacy, many in the region fear Ivory Coast could erupt in another bloody civil war.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Friday that at the request of France, it had dispatched one of its ships to Ivory Coast to help evacuate European citizens in case the situation worsened.
The emergency economic bloc meeting in Nigeria was another regional attempt to find a solution to the troubling situation in Ivory Coast. CNN
