Officials in Ivory Coast say gunmen have killed 10 troops loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.
Authorities say gunmen attacked the troops Tuesday in the commercial capital, Abidjan. The attack took place in the Abobo neighborhood, where most residents back Gbagbo's rival for the presidency, Alassane Ouattara.
Ouattara is the U.N.-certified winner of a presidential vote in November. Gbagbo has defied international calls to cede power to his rival.
A team of four African heads of state met with the two presidents in Abidjan this week, in an effort to reach an end to the standoff.
The African Union panel now has one week to decide how the impasse should end. The AU says the panel's decisions will be legally binding. But the AU has no way to enforce those decisions.
Gbagbo retains control of the army and other state institutions.
Ouattara has spent more than two months in an Abidjan hotel, protected by U.N. peacekeepers.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.