Abidjan , Ivory Coast ( CNN ) -- Ivorians appeared Monday to be ignoring the call for a general strike by the man widely recognized as the Ivory Coast 's legitimate leader following last month 's presidential run-off election . `` The call for the strike was not followed , '' the assistant press officer for the LIberian Embassy in Washington , Cinthia Guibi , told CNN . `` People went to work ; it was just normal . '' A reporter in this port city said businesses appeared open as usual , despite Alassane Ouattara 's call over the weekend for the strike to force incumbent Laurent Gbagbo from power after his apparent loss in the November 28 presidential runoff . The Ivory Coast 's Independent Electoral Commission has named Ouattara , an opposition leader , as the winner . But its Constitutional Council invalidated those results and declared that incumbent Gbagbo won . Ouattara 's demand came amid mounting international pressure on Gbagbo to step down . In Paris , French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters Monday that the ministry had received an official request from Ouattara 's backers to put his ambassador into place , and was reviewing the person 's credentials . The Ivory Coast has been paralyzed by the political stalemate , and scores of people have died in related violence . International powers , including the United States , the United Nations and the African Union , have recognized Ouattara as the winner and urged Gbagbo to cede power . About 14,000 Ivory Coast residents escaping the instability and violence have fled to eastern Liberia , according to the U.N. refugee agency . A few deaths have been reported among the refugees , including a child who drowned during the crossing of the Cestos River into Butuo , Liberia . Observers saw malnourished children and people with malaria , respiratory infections and diarrhea . Sixty-two percent of the refugees are children and 55 percent are female , Liberia 's representative to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees , Ibrahima Coly , told CNN on Monday . `` So far , the Liberian population has welcomed these people in a very warm way and they are sharing whatever they have , '' he said from Monrovia . In general , the refugees are `` physically OK , '' he said . `` We have come across a few people who have their feet swollen because they have been walking for more than two or three days before reaching the border . We have seen also some kids who look a bit tired or malnourished , but these are really a limited number so far . '' Last Friday , the 15-member Economic Community of West African States said it would not hesitate to use `` legitimate force '' if necessary to defuse the crisis . The African Union has suspended Ivory Coast from the organization `` until such a time the democratically elected president effectively assumes state power . '' The World Bank has halted lending and disbursing funds to Ivory Coast and has closed its office in the country . Kyung-wha Kang , the U.N. deputy high commissioner for human rights , has said that between December 16 and December 21 , human rights officers had `` substantiated allegations of 173 killings , 90 instances of torture and ill treatment , 471 arrests and detentions and 24 cases of enforced or involuntary disappearances . '' She added that the actual numbers may be higher since restrictions on movement by U.N. personnel have made it `` impossible to investigate all the allegations of serious human rights violations , including reports of mass graves . '' While acknowledging `` the situation is very , very difficult to live '' in , Charles Ble Goude -- the nation 's youth minister under Gbagbo -- disputed the U.N. report 's findings . He said Gbagbo supporters were not to blame for the violence . Instead , he accused Ouattara 's supporters of using weapons at what had been billed as peaceful rallies to attack soldiers . Journalist Eric Agnero in Abidjan , CNN 's Niki Cook in Paris and CNN 's Tom Watkins contributed to this story .
NEW : French government reviewing credentials of Ouattara 's campaign for president . In Paris , shops are open as usual . ` ` The call for the strike was not followed , '' the Liberian government 's spokeswoman said . Most of the 14,000 refugees who have fled into France are children .