In brief: U.N. adds troops in Ivory Coast

United Nations – The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to deploy 2,000 additional peacekeepers to Ivory Coast, where the incumbent president has refused to relinquish his post to the man internationally recognized as the West African country’s legitimate leader.

Ivory Coast has seen violence and increased tension since the disputed presidential election in November. The new U.N. troops, to be deployed through June, would bolster the world body’s peacekeeping force to nearly 12,000.

African Union envoy Raila Odinga, Kenya’s prime minister, said Wednesday that despite two days of meetings he has failed to persuade incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish the presidency to Alassane Ouattara.

New leaders free political prisoners

Tunis, Tunisia – Tunisia’s new government said Wednesday it has freed all the country’s political prisoners and also moved to track down assets stashed overseas by its deposed president and his widely disliked family.

Tensions on the streets appeared to be calming as the administration tried to show it was distancing itself from the old guard.

The U.N. said more than 100 people have died in the unrest that surrounded President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s ouster.

He fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday after 23 years in power, and a caretaker government is now struggling to calm this moderate Muslim nation on the Mediterranean Sea.