I had never thought that barbarity could reach such levels

Interior Minister Emile Boga Doudou

The victims may have been supporters of Alassane Ouattara, a leading politician who was excluded from the election which finally brought Laurent Gbagbo to power.

Interior Minister Emile Boga Doudou went to the scene of the mass killing with two other ministers on Saturday, wearing masks to protect themselves from the effects of the decomposing bodies.

"I had never thought that barbarity could reach such levels," he said.

"The guilty will be punished, wherever they come from."

Countdown to crisis

24 Dec 1999 Guei seizes power 24 Jan 2000 Guei promises to restore democracy 6 Oct 2000 Court bars Ouattara and others from election 22 Oct Gbagbo faces Guei in election 24 Oct Guei tries to stop vote count 25 Oct Gbagbo declares victory after protests Guei disappears 26 Oct Street battles between supporters of Gbagbo and Ouattara Gbagbo sworn in

Abidjan errupted in two rounds of violence, the first on 24 October after former military leader General Robert Guei tried to stop the counting of votes in the presidential election he had called.

The second was between supporters of Mr Gbagbo, who won the poll, and Mr Ouattara's backers, who were angry that he was excluded from the election.

The bodies were found on Friday. Many had been stripped naked.

A man who says he is the only survivor of the massacre has blamed military police.

"At the gendarmerie headquarters they undressed us, they hit us, they put us into a truck with bodies, they took us to Yopougon and there the soldiers opened fire," said the man, identifying himself only as Ibrahim.

The deputy commander of the gendarmerie has denied any knowledge of the attack.

The discovery of the massacre brings the death toll since the elections to more than 100, with some estimates being more than twice that high.

The victims were from the country's Muslim Dioula community, who are generally seen as supporters of Mr Ouattara.

President Gbagbo named a government on Friday

President Gbagbo announced the new government on Friday after inviting Mr Ouattara to join - an offer Mr Ouattara declined.

President Gbagbo included representatives of at least three political parties in the broad-based government which he had promised.

He gave the defence, interior and foreign affairs ministries to members of his own Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), but awarded other positions to members of the Ivory Coast Democratic Party (PDCI) which governed the country before the December coup, and the small opposition Labour Party.

Unsuccessful talks

But talks between Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ouattara immediately after the president's inauguration on Thursday failed to persuade Mr Ouattara to accept government posts for his Rally of Republicans (RDR) party.

Ouattara: Declined to participate in government

After meeting the new president, Mr Ouattara said the RDR would consider joining a new government after parliamentary elections, which have been scheduled for 10 December.

Sunday's election was intended to restore civilian rule following the December 1999 coup led by General Guei.

But the country descended into violence after the general tried to halt the counting of votes.

Ivory Coast has spent the past year in the grip of a political crisis which has seriously undermined confidence in what was once seen as West Africa's most stable and prosperous state.