French troops this evening evacuated more than 1,200 people from the rebel-held city of Bouake in Ivory Coast to the capital Yamoussoukro, the French army high command said.
The city of Bouake has been the scene of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces. Rebels said they would allow the evacuation to proceed and have agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire while it is carried out.
Earlier a group of schoolchildren, mainly Americans, who were allowed to leave the city yesterday have now started arrived in the neighbouring country of Ghana.
The mutineers told journalists they were acting on their own, with no political backing.
Correspondents found more than 100 bodies in the morgue at Bouake, where loyalist forces have been attacking from the outskirts, but it was impossible to determine whether they were those of rebels, loyalists or civilians caught in cross-fire.
Three Nigerian ground-attack jets were standing by at Abidjan to support the army of President Laurent Gbagbo.
A "limited number" of US special forces were on the ground, with more standing by in neighbouring Ghana to protect US nationals if need be, US officials said, and a small British contingent was checking whether British troops were needed to protect their nationals.
West African leaders decided to hold an emergency summit on the crisis in Abidjan on Sunday.
AFP
