The United States denounced Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo's "moral bankruptcy" after his forces opened fire on a rally of hundreds of women demanding his ouster.
"The moral bankruptcy of Laurent Gbagbo is evident as his security forces killed women protesters and his country runs out of resources," US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on the microblogging website Twitter.
In Abidjan's Abobo suburb, troops opened fire Thursday on a rally of hundreds of women demanding Gbagbo hand the presidency to recognized election winner Alassane Ouattara, killing at least six of them, witnesses said.
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International sanctions against Gbagbo, who has refused to step down as president since the November 28 elections, are beginning to bite with ordinary Ivorians feeling the pinch as the country's once-vibrant economy suffers.
Later, during the daily State Department news briefing, Crowley said US and European sanctions were increasing pressure for Gbagbo to step down.
"They are having an effect, tragically for the people of Cote D'Ivoire," Crowley said, using the French name for the former French colony.
"Fuel is running low, but also we see for Mr. Gbagbo money is running low," he said.
The sanctions "are denying him the ability to pay the security forces that are shooting at women and other protesters, so we do believe it's having an effect, unfortunately for Cote D'Ivoire," he added.
"It appears it's going to take some time to resolve this, but we remain committed to see the result of the election respected," he added.
The European Union decided in January to freeze the European assets of Ivory Coast's outcast leader Laurent Gbagbo, 87 associates and 11 vital industries over his refusal to cede power, diplomats said.
The same month the US Treasury froze the assets of Gbagbo, his wife Simone and three of their inner circle.
