Ethnic fighting erupted in the past days in the west of Cote d'Ivoire, claiming at least 14 lives,to add to the post-election tensions of the West African country, UN sources disclosed?in Abidjan?on Thursday.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the country said clashes hit Cote d'Ivoire's western town of Duekoue this week after a woman was killed in a robbery.

The incident triggered fighting between the Guere and Malinke ethnic groups in the city, situated 500 km from Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire.

Also on Thursday, the UN mission said that at least 210 people had been killed in the country since mid-December last year, according to media.

The mission's human rights spokesman Simon Munzu told media that at least 31 people have died since the toll given by the United Nations Mission in Ivory Coast (UNOCI) was last updated at the end of last year.

Media quoted Munzu as saying that the toll includes those killed during the crisis and ethnic unrest in the west of the country.

After the run-off held on Nov. 28, Alassane Ouattara was declared winner by the electoral commission while the Constitutional Council, which has the final say on the results, said the incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo won the vote. Gbagbo did not heed the international request and stayed on power,leading to a political standoff and the West African country was put at the real risk of a civil war.

Cote d'Ivoire was divided after the country's 2002-2003 civil war.