United Nations, New York, 25 March 2011 - As many as 1 million people have been driven from their homes in Côte d'Ivoire in the months-long turmoil stemming from the outgoing president's refusal to leave office, with violence mounting and his loyalists using heavy weapons against civilians, a top United Nations official said today. "The deteriorating security situation and the escalation in the use of heavy weapons has had a serious toll on the lives and well-being of the Ivorian people," Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Atul Khare told the Security Council, ascribing most of the violence to forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who lost a UN-certified and internationally recognized election to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara last November. Full story: www.un.org =