Gbagbo to take control of I Coast banks amid panic

Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo said Thursday he would take control of two French bank affiliates that closed due to the post-election crisis as residents began a run on banks over fears of more closures.
After at least five international banks suspended activities this week, Gbagbo "has issued decrees so that the state of Ivory Coast can take total and complete control of the capital of certain banks", spokesman Ahoua Don Mello said in reading a statement on public television RTI.
He noted in particular the affiliates of French banks BNP Paribas and Societe Generale.
Earlier Thursday dozens of people anxiously lined up outside bank branches in the Plateau business district of Abidjan waiting to withdraw funds.