Militant backers of the president have protested in the west African country's economic capital since Monday over a recommendation from a UN-mandated working group that the parliament stand down as its term had ended.

Several hundred demonstrators were besieging the United Nations headquarters in Abidjan, which they had tried to storm on Tuesday and Wednesday before being beaten back by Jordanian peacekeepers firing shots in the air.

"Between 200 and 300 of them are continuing to hassle us, throwing rocks. We have been replying with tear gas," a UN military source told AFP.

Up to 300 demonstrators also maintained a sit-in in front of the embassy of France, Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler which along with the UN has thousands of peacekeeping troops in the divided country.

The pro-Gbagbo "Young Patriots" also seemed to be maintaining control over state television, which they had invaded on Wednesday. After a favourable evening news bulletin a continuous on-screen message Thursday called for reinforcements to come to broadcasting headquarters "to defend your television."

Public transport was at a standstill in the city, while the few motorists who ventured out were being checked at roadblocks around the city manned by the protestors.

Abidjan's streets were empty of pedestrians and security forces again were virtually invisible, despite an official ban on demonstrations.

On Wednesday evening, the president had urged the so-called Young Patriots to end the street violence and return to work.

The call, made jointly with Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny, was issued after crisis talks with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current head of the African Union.

All three leaders said the international working group, whose job is to oversee the implementation of a United Nations resolution passed in October 2005, had no power to enforce its controversial recommendation made last weekend.

The UN resolution extended Gbagbo's term in office for a year pending elections after the failure to hold polls on time or disarm the rebels holding the north of the country since an abortive coup against Gbagbo in 2002.