ABIDJAN- Pro-Ouattara forces in Cote d'Ivoire affirmed on Wednesday that they had launched an assault on the residence of embattled Cote d'Ivoire president Laurent Gbagbo.

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The spokesman of Alassane Ouattara's government Leon Alla Kouakou said this was the final assault that will remove Gbagbo from the bunker where he has been hiding with some of his close confidants since Tuesday.

Gbagbo's communication advisor Toussaint Alain confirmed that "helicopters were bombing Gbagbo's residence in the posh Cocody district. Information regarding an attack on Gbagbo's residence was confirmed in the media by officials of the French forces in Cote d'Ivoire.

Pro-Ouattara forces recently launched an offensive on the town of Abidjan with a view of forcing Gbagbo to leave power. This offensive has received aerial backing from the UN and French forces who have bombarded Gbagbo's strategic military sites to destroy the heavy weapons.

Gbagbo's camp appealed for a cease-fire through his foreign minister Alcide Djedje who indicated that their military arsenal had been destroyed and Gbagbo was not willing to continue with fighting.

After the cease-fire, plans were underway to draft an exit strategy for Gbagbo but negotiations have flopped.

In the last four months, the people of Cote d'Ivoire have witnessed a serious political crisis that resulted from a disputed presidential election which was contested by Gbagbo and Ouattara.

The latest death toll estimates released by the UN indicate that over 1,000 people have lost their lives due to post-election violence that broke out in mid-December.